Paul Boyton

The Story of Paul Boyton

A classic of American travel and adventure narrative, this rare and nearly-forgotten text details the life of "water-god" Paul Boyton (as he was dubbed in Morocco). Boyton gained international fame in the 1870s for traversing rivers and straits in an early dry-suit made of rubber, drifting or paddling his body through the water like a kayak. Boyton was the first to cross the English Channel without a vessel--but because his suit had buoyant air pockets and he used a paddle, Matthew Webb and not Boyton is credited as the first person to swim across the Channel. Boyton later opened the first self-contained amusement park in Chicago, followed by parks in San Francisco and Coney Island, securing his place in the history of popular recreation.