BDN article on snowshoes cites Hudson Museum
The Bangor Daily News cited the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine in the article, “Why you may want to ditch your fancy snowshoes for wooden ones.” The article focused on the history and traditions behind wooden snowshoes, and the benefits they still offer that prompt some to use them over the modern plastic and metal variety. Wooden snowshoes are quieter, and the snow falls through the woven part instead of collecting on top, the BDN reported. The designs of snowshoes made by the indigenous people of North America varied widely by region. For example, snowshoes made by indigenous people in Maine did not have left and right shoes, according to the Hudson Museum, which has a collection of more than 900 objects crafted by Maine Indians, the article states. From the 1850s to the 1940s, Maine was the center of snowshoe production in the Northeast, when snowshoes were made by Maine Natives and non-Natives who adopted the design techniques, according to the Hudson Museum. The BDN also interviewed individuals who still make and sell traditional wooden snowshoes in Maine.