February 2007

For more than half of the 20th century, Lewiston was the undisputed snowshoe capital of the United States. This colorful chapter of the Twin Cities’ Franco-American history is currently highlighted in a display at USM’s Franco-American Collection.Many local people still recall the international and national conventions held here through the years since 1925.

They featured large parades, with dozens of drum and bugle corps, an elaborate centrally located ice palace, snowshoe competitions and a coronation ball and an awards ceremony. The local population, not to mention the merchants, hotels and restaurants, looked forward to these festivities which brought life to the darkest part of winter. Extra cars were charted on the Grand Trunk Railroad for the hundreds of conventioneers who came from Canada.

At one time, there were some fifty clubs in Maine and New England. Nearly one third were located in the L-A area including: Le Montagnard, Le Cercle Canadien, Les Amies Choisies, Le Passe-Temps, La Gaieté, Le Jacques Cartier,Les Diables Rouges,La Feuille d’Erable Les Hiboux Blancs, Les Hirondelles, Le Renard, Le Travaillant, L’Oiseau de Neige, Le Cavalier and L’Acme.

Donat Boisvert, coordinator of the Collection, who researched and created the Raquetteurs exhibit says that without the donation of old pictures, programs, club histories, trophies, medallions and other artifacts such stories could not be told.Les Raquetteurs can be viewed at USM/L-A Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3p.m.