Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories

by Frank Bures

Tales of ambition, terror, rivalry, adventure, endurance, friendship, and love on the waters of the Mississippi River and beyond.

In this collection, award-winning writer Frank Bures tells true stories as varied as the waters, weather, and rhythms of a canoe trip. From the terror of two kayakers who barely escaped the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire in the Boundary Waters to two young campers who experienced a supernatural scare in Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park in the 1970s to the author's own miraculous rescue, Bures shares varied takes on what happens when you push the river. 

The heart of the book is a telling of the lost history of the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby, an annual 450-mile race run on the Upper Mississippi in the 1940s and 1950s that gave canoe-racing legend Gene Jensen his start—and which changed the course of modern canoeing. The tale includes the dominance of racers from the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, including many members of the Tibbets family, and the unacknowledged contributions of Ojibwe canoe builders Jim and Bernie Smith, whose design features are now part of the modern canoe-racing landscape. 

Pushing the River is an essential read for anyone who loves what legendary canoeist Bob O’Hara called “the sense of perpetual adventure” that comes in the seat of a canoe, where you never quite know what you will encounter around the river’s next bend.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

Frank Bures is the author of "The Geography of Madness." He frequently writes for magazines and his work has been included in the Best American Travel Writing, and selected as “Notable” in the Best American Essays and Best American Sports Writing. He lives with his family in Minneapolis.

Reviews

[Jennifer Myers]

An adventurous meander down Old Man River, in many forms! I learned lots about the 450 mile Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby (what a race! What fun publicity for the state for a couple of decades!), the two competing teams who tried to beat the record for fastest continuous paddle from the headwaters to New Orleans (I was holding my breath in those chapters!) and a little more history of the river that travels two blocks from my house by Hidden Falls, in St. Paul MN. I’m inspired to canoe more portions of the river and discover the magic that comes only when you float amongst the water.

[Cary Griffith]

Lots to like about this book. Frank Bures was born on the Mississippi, was raised on its banks, and clearly still has river mud in his veins. I loved the canoe history in this book and was unaware of the prominence of canoe racing in Minnesota’s past. Toss in a few compelling survival stories (one involving the author), and a Stephen King-ish tale about the darkest heart of the Quetico, and you have the kind of book I like to sit up in bed and savor. Every word. Well done, Frank.

[John]

I picked this book up because I am an avid canoer. The book focuses on the history of a derby on the Mississippi river. The author has no sources.

The last third of the book, he writes short stories about his experience canoeing the river with his family and almost dieing on a solo canoe trip.

I can't believe I made it through the entire book.

[Amy Carlson]

Fascinating account of canoeing throughout MN’s history, including the Paul Bunyan derby, which I’d vented even heard of-loved the author’s personal accounts of his various paddling experiences and working as a race crew member for the Mississippi paddling record.

[Jodi Kaftan]

Probably more engaging for those into canoeing and related history. The stories in the three last sections were more interesting for me.

[Josh]

This book is fascinating. It cycles between rich history, storytelling, and memoir. I feel connected to the land and boating after reading.

[Hugh Gabriel]

A love letter to paddling the Mississippi. Perfect quick read for Minnesotans looking to reminisce on the river or learn some obscure canoeing lore.

[Doug]

The first half of this book got rather tiresome - too many races, too many details, too little of interest. The topic itself, the canoeing races along the upper Mississippi, was interesting, but the story got drug down with detail. The middle sections, personal stories of canoeing was very good. The third part, canoe challenges the length of the river was good until you find that you are reading the same story twice, just from different perspectives. The author needs a better editor.

[Brenna]

I was excited for this book, but I can’t do more than 3 stars bc there is way too much time spent on every detail of several decades of the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby. I found the rest of the book more interesting but almost didn’t make it past the tedious Derby chapters.