ALLEGANY, N.Y.— In June of 1960, two 19-year-old Allegany boys, Mike Rehler and Bob Steiger, set off on a canoe trip on the Allegheny River that would carry them 2,280 miles during 54 days of adventure to New Orleans, La.
Rehler, who lives between Allegany and Florida, and Steiger, who resides in California, combined their travel logs and adventures from more than 60 years ago for the creation of the booklet “1960 River Travel Log.”
The booklet, printed by Citizen Printing House in Allegany, is now available through the non-profit Allegany Area Historical Association, which will benefit from the proceeds.
Francie Potter, president of the historical association, helped edit and add pictures to the booklet with Rehler over the past year.
“They both kept logs of their 54-day trip and about 12 years ago set to work combining their logs into one cohesive story,” Potter said, noting Rehler reached out to her last year to work on publishing the booklet.
She said the book includes an encounter with law enforcement the young men had in West Virginia regarding a .22 rifle they had in tow and was eventually resolved. Other adventures included seeing groups of young kids run to the shoreline along the river to quiz them about their trip, sleeping on beach areas of the river and even meeting up with a priest who convinced them to go to Mass.
In the epilogue, Rehler mentions how the relative age of innocence in 1960 made the trip possible for the two of them.
“Much has changed since 1960. In 1960, the Kinzua Dam had not been built so there was no need to plan portage around it to continue travel down river,” he wrote. “In 1960 neighbors were more neighborly and supported one another; there was a sense of security as children played together outside until called in at mealtime; meals were generally eaten at the kitchen table while the day’s activities and events were discussed…”
That said, Rehler and Potter concurred that a trip such as this in today’s climate likely would not be possible.
“The people we met both on and off the river were interested in our adventure and couldn’t be more friendly or helpful to us in achieving our goals along the way,” Rehler continued in the epilogue. “They invited us to many free meals and drinks, towed us many miles towards destination New Orleans, welcomed us in their clubs and even their homes and promoted newspaper reports of our progress.”
In the years following their adventure, Rehler and Steiger graduated from St. Bonaventure University, served in the military, married and started families — and stayed in touch with each other through calls and visits. While Steiger settled in California, Rehler returned to Allegany and a family business that evolved from a dairy bar known as Meadowbrook Dairy to a restaurant/tavern known as Der Hut.
For her part, Potter said she was thrilled when Rehler contacted her to put the booklet together to benefit the historical society, which has not held fundraisers over the past year due to the pandemic.
“We still have bills” so the fundraiser will help, she shared.
The booklet cost $13 locally and includes a $3.50 postage fee for out-of-town members and friends. It can be purchased at the Citizen Printing House on Main Street in Allegany or by sending a check for cost and postage to: AAHA, Box 162, Allegany, NY 14706. The booklets will then be mailed to recipients.
