E.H. Gerrish Canoe Company

Evan Hughes “Eve” Gerrish is credited with being the first person to sell wood-canvas canoes commercially.

[1][2] Born in Brownville, Maine, in 1847, Eve Gerrish was an established hunting and fishing guide when he moved to Bangor in 1875, set up shop manufacturing fishing rods and canoe paddles and began experimenting with wood-canvas canoe construction.

I saw a man by the name of Evan Gerrish of Bangor riding in the Penobscot River in a canvas-covered canoe.

Rushton nearly went bankrupt after investing in the promotion of his boats at this event,[9] while the less expensive and easily maintained canvas canoe continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1890s.

Gerrish continued to build canoes until retiring in 1909 at the age of 62, selling the company to his foreman, Herbert Walton.