The roots of the Conewago Canoe Club can be traced to a letter that George and Carol Figdore wrote to Canoe magazine in 1973.  Weary of setting up their own shuttles and canoeing alone, they wanted to find other canoers in the York area.  Cleathon Myers' response to that letter set in motion a series of events which generated a list of non-members for a non-organized canoe club.  Not until late in 1974 did the group become officially organized as the Conewago Canoe Club.

Basically a flatwater group in its infancy, the paddlers named their new organization after a stream on which many early trips were taken.  Ironically, Conewago is an Indian word meaning “big water.”

The Club now offers canoe and kayak courses for the beginner, the intermediate, and the advanced paddler.  In four months under club guidance a new paddler can accumulate enough skills to successfully negotiate Class III to IV water. Club members have logged thousands of miles across the continent making friends and spreading the name Conewago.  Over the years some members have been motivated to become politically involved on the local, state, and national levels in such issues as river conservation, land preservation, non-powered boat registration, and the fight against pollution.