I’m at the Erie Maritime Museum and I have stopped to spend some time at a new exhibit. It’s not an exhibit about a Navy ship and it’s not an exhibit about any of the big freighters that have been known to visit the city. This exhibit is about a small boat that’s been a family treasure. It’s a rowboat donated to the museum by Gary Larson. The rowboat was built by Gary’s grandfather Henry in 1908.
“It has been rowed by six generations of Larsons,” says Gary. “Great-grandfather, grandfather, father, me, son, and grandson.”
The Larson family is an example of Erie’s love of the water. Gary’s great-grandfather Charles was a ship’s carpenter who sailed around the world seven times. Charles passed on his carpentry skills to his son Henry, who built this rowboat. Henry gave the boat to his son Walter when Walter was thirteen. Walter immediately became a Lake Erie fisherman.
“A typical day for my dad would be to wake up at the crack of dawn, with or without his buddies, row out into the lake, fish all day until the boat was laden with fish,” says Gary.
Gary became the owner of the boat in 1978. He has loved every minute he’s had its oars in his hands. So why donate it to a museum? Gary says this boat represents the many Erie families who have enjoyed boating over the years. It also represents the vessels that many Erie people used in the early 1900s when Erie was the Freshwater Fishing Capital of the World.
“The lake was teeming with fish, and my dad and his buddies took advantage of that. Many people did,” Gary says with pride.
Gary has many stories to tell about this boat. Some are included in a pamphlet he wrote for people who visit the exhibit. They are stories of fun and adventure. Gary also likes to show off the initials his grandfather carved into each of the oars. The boat, although it is still licensed, will be in the water no more. It has found a new home.
“It’s just had a wonderful life. It was kind of hard to give it up.,” says Gary. “But I think it’s in the right place.”
The Maritime Museum is proud to have the rowboat on permanent display. It’s part of the museum’s plan to put a greater emphasis on Erie’s fishing industry.