history of pichenotte and crokinole game boards Ontario Canada hockey carrom carroms

PAGE ONE

	Like so many other families of Canadian descent, among our most valued family heirlooms is a "pichenotte" board (shown at left). Ours was made by our grandfather, Lucien Rajotte, back in 1926 out of a wooden starch crate (you can still make out the original stenciling on the back of the board). His grocery business in Connecticut was the source of the wood crate. For many family occasions, the pichenotte board was an essential element. During the Winter Holidays, the board was in constant use by pichenotte players of all ages. Pichenotte Games, LLC is a result of our desire to pass on the tradition we grew up with to all who might be interested.
Hockey is a major sport and pastime in Canada and so naturally, our grandfather, pictured in the very middle of the team, was a hockey player in Quebec during his youth. There seems to be a strong unspoken connection between hockey and pichenotte. Something about shooting a puck across a fast surface. Curling is another winter sport that is very similar to pichenotte. Skillfully sliding a large stone puck across the ice is a serious Olympic sport. For many years we didn't know if our grand- father had invented the game of pichenotte, or where it might have originated, if he was not the inventor. In some ways, it didn't really matter, but we became curious.
Photo Courtesy: Center for Southwest Research circa 1900 Albuquerque	In the mid 1980's, our brother Paul Lagasse came across an interesting photograph while working at the Center for Southwest Research in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is the photograph, at left, that Paul happened to come across one day while on the job in the Archives Room. The caption reads: "Senator George Coffin playing carroms with his great-grandson. Albuquerque, NM circa 1900." Somebody else knows about pichenotte! This carrom name was obviously a misnomer. We know carroms as a square game played with four corner pockets much like pool. So this was an interesting photograph, but how can we find out more?

PAGE ONE