A toboggan is a simple sled used in snowy winter recreation. It is also a traditional form of cargo transport used by the Innu, Cree and OjibweNewton, Stan (1923) The Story of Sault Ste Marie and Chippewa County Sault News Printing Co of North America, sometimes part of a dog train.
It is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a slope for recreation, or as a rescue sled. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites. A toboggan differs from most sleds or sleighs in that it has no runners or skis (or only low ones) on the underside.Tobogganing as a Pastime Wildwood's Magazine (1889) vol 2 #4:158–160 The bottom of a toboggan rides directly on the snow. Some parks include designated toboggan hills where ordinary sleds are not allowed and which may include toboggan runs similar to bobsleigh courses.Sled, Sledge, Sleigh, and Toboggan grammarist.com differentiation of sledding typesChamplin & Bostwick (1900) Tobogganing Library of Inspiration and Achievement vol 3 pp357–359
The term toboggan is sometimes used to refer to any type of sled, a knit wool cap, or for the conveyance used in some amusement park rides and water slides.Cartmell, Robert (1987) The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster Popular Press pp55–58
Toboggans can vary depending on the climate and geographical region. An example is Tangalooma (Australia) where toboggans are made from Masonite boards and used for travelling down steep sand dunes at speeds up to .
Etymology The term toboggan likely comes from an Algonquin language word for sled, possibly from the Mi%27kmaq tepaqan, or the Abenaki odabôgan.toboggan Nulhegan Abenaki Dictionary 1.0 p423 For the French Canadians this became tabaganne.
History
Toboggan was originally an Algonquian term for a type of man-hauled cargo sledge made from bark, hardwood or whalebone, and deer or buffalo hide. Sledges of this type have been in use on the Great Plains and the Great Lakes since 3000 BCE. During the tribes' yearly migration to their winter campsites, these sledges were used to transport bulky personal possessions and small children before the introduction of the wheel. A smaller variant of the toboggan, used for recreational purposes, was known as a Tom Pung.Handbook of American Indians p769
As Europeans settled traditional Algonquian lands, the term was absorbed as an English loanword and applied to the low-profile wooden sledges made by the colonists.Keoke, Emory Dean & Porterfield, Kay Marie (2005) toboggan American Indian Contributions to the World Infobase Publishing p39 First used for small cargo transport by some fur trappers,Gibson, William Hamilton (1876) The Complete American Trapper book 8, p270 mail carriersGems of Lake Superior scenery, No. 95 New York Public LibraryItems of Interest [VT:] Essex County Herald 19 Apr 1878 and prospectors,An Interesting Adventure Elk Mountain Pilot p1 12 May 1881 recreational toboggan usage was noted at Montreal (1835),Champlin & Bostwick (1900) Tobogganing Library of Inspiration and Achievement vol 3 pp357–359 Halifax (1869),Boutilier, Alex (2015) The Controversy of Coasting on Citadel Hill Historic Nova Scotia Ottawa (1870), and Boston (1883).Sporting Summary [NH Concord:] The People and New Hampshire Patriot 25 Jan 1883 Transition from utility to recreational usage is depicted in contemporary illustrations from Joseph-François Lafitau (1724), Peter Rindisbacher (1824), Philip John Bainbrigge (1840), William Henry Napier (1842), Paul Kane (1846), James D. Duncan (1850) and Cornelius Krieghoff (1863).
Artificial slides with adjacent return climb stairway were constructed at Ottawa (1877),Tobogganing New York Herald p4 13 Mar 1877 Davos (1879), Montreal (1879), Quebec City (1884),Stevenson, Verity & Tadros, Patricia (2024) Quebec City toboggan slide CBC Saratoga Springs, New York (1884),Orzell, Bill (2023) Saratobogganing: The Spa’s Steepest Slopes simplysaratoga.com Saint Paul (1885)Dayton's Bluff St Paul Daily Globe p1 3 Feb 1886 then quickly spread across the U.S. northeast (Albany, Burlington) and midwest (Chicago, Grand ForksHoffbeck, Dr. Steve (2015) Toboggan Craze in Grand Forks Prairie Public).Winter Sport in Canada The Christian Union v31 #5:23 1885
Early clubs were formed at Montreal (1879),Toboggan Club Dominion Illustrated p6 1889 Woodlawn Park (1884), Burlington (1884), Lansdowne (1884),Allan, J C (1890) Tobogganing Outing v15 #5:348–351 Ottawa (1885), Saint Paul (1885), and Essex (1886).Out-door Clubs of Canada and U.S. Outing vol 9 #5:495,497 1887 A specific uniform color combination and badge identified club members and granted access to private slides.Tobogganing AlbanyInstitute.org
Design and use Townsend, Charles Wendell (ed.) (1911) Captain Cartwright and his Labrador Journal Boston: Dana Estes & Company p357–358
The traditional North American toboggan is made of bound, lengthwise parallel wood slats, all bent up and backwards at the front to form a recumbent 'J' shape.La Berge, Armand John (1928) Speed Toys for Boys (and Girls, Too) pp92–95 A thin rope is run across the edge of the curved front to provide rudimentary steering. The frontmost rider places their feet in the curved front space and sits on the flat bed; any others sit behind them and grasp the waist of the person before them.
Modern recreational toboggans are typically manufactured from wood, plastic or aluminum. Larger, more rugged models are made for commercial or rescue use.
From 1923 to 2014 the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing or FIBT) governed the organized sports of Bobsled and Skeleton.FIBT Internet Archive
See also Bobsled Foam slider Luge Pulk Sled Travois
References
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