He also donated three canoes, originally built in the area of Peterborough, and gifted to the Royal Family between 1947 and 1981, on long-term loan.

As well as the canoe collection, the museum features a dramatic waterfall, and a traditional Mi'kmaq wigwam where visitors can hear creation stories.

Visitors can also try their hand at building a birch bark canoe in the Preserving Skills Gallery, plan a prospecting expedition like in the gold rush days, feel what it was like to be a voyageur during the fur trade era, and enjoy the cottaging lifestyles of the early 20th century.

A notable exhibit started in October 2001, when the museum gained further prominence with the launch of Reflections: The Land, the People and the Canoe.

This landmark exhibit featured Pierre Trudeau's famous buckskin jacket and birch bark canoe on public display for the first time, along with the personal artifacts of other significant paddlers, including Bill Mason, Victoria Jason and Eric Morse.