The Canoe and the Saddle

The Canoe and the Saddle (1862) is a novelized adventure memoir by the American author Theodore Winthrop (1828–1861).[1] It vividly describes Washington state’s landscape and natural resources as well as the tumultuous relationship between Winthrop and the Native American people he interacted with.

The Canoe and the Saddle presents a picturesque image of the Pacific Northwest and later inspired travelers, activists, and artists. Conflicting themes of nature and evolving civilization are at odds with each other in this novel with Winthrop's belief that “preservation of the civilized world resided within its wildness-but only if that wildness could be kept at arm’s length.” (Lindholdt 11).

Winthrop's literary depiction of the Northwest, particularly Washington Territory, earned him great popularity. The town of Winthrop, Washington took on his name in 1890 as well as Mount Rainier’s Winthrop Glacier due to his detailed descriptions of the landscape in his book. The Winthrop Hotel in Tacoma, Washington, was also named in his honor.[2]

References
  1. "The Canoe And The Saddle". Internet Archive. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  2. Duane Colt Denfeld (2016-01-08), "Winthrop Hotel (Tacoma)", HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink
  • Lindholdt, Paul. "Theodore Winthrop." Columbia: The Magazine Of Northwest History 21.1 (2007): 5–11.
  • Winthrop, Theodore. The Canoe and the Saddle: A Critical Edition. [1862.] Ed. and introd. Paul J. Lindholdt. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.
  • Lindholdt, Paul. "Theodore Winthrop finishes his tour of Washington Territory at Port Townsend on August 21, 1853."[1]


  1. "Theodore Winthrop finishes his tour of Washington Territory at Port Townsend on August 21, 1853. - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.