The history of the Telford boat building company in Klamath Falls will be examined in a presentation to the Klamath County Historical Society at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Klamath County Museum.
John Poole, a descendant of boat builders Henry and Ray Telford, will discuss the family’s business ventures with Klamath County Museum Director Todd Kepple.
The Telfords constructed hundreds of small to mid-sized boats in shops located along Link River in the early 1900s. They built boats used for sightseeing tours on Crater Lake, as well as small boats for business and personal use in the area.
“We have one of the Telford’s racing boats in our museum, and so we’ll be able to give people a first-hand look at how their clinker-style boats were made,” Kepple said. “The clinker method of boat construction has been recognized as an important Scandinavian cultural heritage.”
The museum will also display a collection of tools used by the Telfords, donated to the Museum recently by Poole.
The public is invited to attend this presentation in the museum’s back meeting room, accessible from Spring Street.
For more information contact the Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main Street, at 541-882-1000.
A Telford boat is prepared for lowering into Crater Lake National Park in the early 1900s. A presentation on the history of the Telford boat building company will be presented Oct. 27.
