A collection of canoe stories has been published in a book called “Pushing the River.”

Frank Bures has been writing about modern events and history related to canoes for years. He grew up near the Mississippi River in Winona and now lives in Minneapolis.

“The biggest piece in the book is about the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby, which was a race in the 1940s and ’50s that went from Bemidji to Minneapolis. And it would kick off the Aquatennial,” Bures said.

There are also stories about attempts at record-breaking paddles along the Mississippi and one about a narrow escape from the Pagami Creek Fire. A couple was camping in a section of the Boundary Waters that was supposed to be safe from the wildfire.

“All of a sudden, this fire was just moving so fast, and it took over. So he like paddled back, ran up, they grabbed a few dry bags, and he and his wife ran down, jumped in the water out into the lake, and the fire just came all around the lake and was everywhere,” Bures described. “Just at the last minute, the fire put itself out. It created this weather system that dumped a bunch of water on it.”

He also shares about a personal “wake-up call” experience on the Mississippi.

“My canoe tipped over in really, really cold water. And I came really close to not making it out. And it was just a fluke that another couple guys were canoeing and just happened to be there on a Sunday morning at 7 a.m. on the Mississippi and had a rope and threw me the rope and pulled me out,” Bures said.

Overall, he hopes readers come away with an appreciation for the simplicity of canoeing.

“It’s just really accessible, pretty affordable adventure that’s just right there at your fingertips,” Bures said.

Bures will be at Zenith Bookstore from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday with Stephanie Pearson to talk about “Pushing the River.”