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July 1940. "Canoeing on the Ohio River on Saturday. Louisville, Kentucky." Ladies and gentlemen, meet Bob. Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
Conrail no longer exists. This is either a Norfolk Southern or CSX bridge.
This shows the Falls of the Ohio Railroad Bridge, built in 1919. Multiple, subdivided Warren deck truss spans with two Pennsylvania Pratt through trusses. There is also a vertical lift span out of sight to the left, all of which is still in use today by Conrail.
This looks a lot like my Old Town High Water from 1929 -- a canoe my dad bought used south of Columbus around 1970. You get to care for them a bit, as the filler for the canvas and the paint eventually break down, and bumping into rocks can break the planks (mine has a few replaced), but obviously they can last a long time. Look at the bolts on the thwarts (Old Town's are a distinctive diamond head) and the serial number in the bow -- you can get a build history from the company if you can find these, complete with the names of the men who made it.
Distinctives of this one: Note the rounding of the bow and stern, which allows this 8-foot canoe to turn more readily and handle far better in waves. If it's the High Water, it also has a mast hole for canoe sailing. Just the thing for the extended trip on the Ohio this man seems to be taking.
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