1964 : Lumberjack Rows 2200 Miles to World’s Fair in New York

When:
June 13, 2024 all-day
2024-06-13T00:00:00-04:00
2024-06-14T00:00:00-04:00

On June 13, 1964, Tony Calery, a 45-year old, 200-pound bachelor lumberjack, left his hometown in Sault Ste. Marie bound for the World’s Fair. Some drive, some fly, some sail, some might even hitchhike, ride bicycles or walk. Sault Ste. Marie’s Timber Tony Calery. who bills himself as the “rowin’est man in the land,” is making the trip in a 16-foot rowboat. He said he will row across Lake Erie, the Welland Canal and Lake Ontario to the Erie Canal. From there he will travel across New York state on the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers to Manhattan. But Calery said hospitality offered by cities along the route may hold up his schedule. “They take care of me pretty good and it beats sleeping on the beach like I did the first three nights out,” he said. Calery arrived at the World’s Fair in New York 75 days and 2,200 miles later.

Film Clip

Saulte Ste. Marie Evening News, July 7, 1964

Source: Mich-Again’s Day.

Leave a Reply