Karl Creelman sought to see everything he could, all on his trusted bicycle.
Leaving Truro, N.S., on May 11, 1899, a 21-year-old Creelman cycled his way across Canada and parts of the United States. He then boarded a ship headed to Australia. Upon his return home in 1902, he claimed to have biked over 15,000 miles, with stops throughout Europe, India, Sri Lanka and Great Britain.
It was nothing short of the journey of a lifetime, and it’s been the core inspiration of Halifax travel photographer Louise Trotter.
Ever since viewing a painted mural of Creelman on the back of the old train station-turned-mall in Truro, Trotter’s curiosity has been focused on the expeditions of the then-21-year-old cyclist. She searched for historical records and accounts of his journey, learning all she could about his endeavours to see the world.
In 2016, she took on her own globe-spanning challenge—following in Creelman’s footsteps, seeing all of the sights he’d seen while learning how things have changed since his time.
“Travel itself has always been a passion of mine,” says Trotter in an interview with The Coast. “Just seeing that mural, that painting, ‘Karl Creelman Around the World’, you know, it was just somebody else trying to get into somebody else’s mind. Why did he make that choice, and what did it look like when he did? What were the difficulties? I think it was really about his story to begin with.”
After picking up a camera in Chicago, Creelman was able to photograph parts of his journey, which he would later show off at talks he’d give once returning home. While Trotter never found Creelman’s photographs throughout all of her research, she did take her own camera along to photograph her journey.
Starting as Creelman did in Nova Scotia—although not on a bike—Trotter explored New Brunswick before making her way to Ireland. She returned to Canada to retrace Creelman’s steps through Quebec and Ontario before heading south to Chicago and west to North Dakota before returning to Canada to visit Manitoba and Alberta.
It was then Trotter took a plane to Europe, exploring Belgium, France and Scotland before heading further east to India. She would travel to Egypt, back to Western Europe to visit England and Wales, and then out to Western Canada. Her final trips were to Australia and Sri Lanka, finishing her worldwide journey this year.
While she deviated from Creelman’s timeline, both in span and in sequence, Trotter managed to capture moments from her journey to mirror those of Creelman every step of the way through her blog. She inspected the sights Creelman would’ve seen, pondered on how cities and countries have changed over the last century. Mines that were opened, now closed. Towns that were once small recluses of society, now burgeoning cityscapes.
“I think Midwest America was a surprise, from Chicago up through into North Dakota,” says Trotter. “Karl would’ve travelled through the Hudson Bay trade routes at the time of the railway expansion, so it was interesting going back in time to the Wild West. I really enjoyed that part of the journey and history.
“It’s not about just the place,” she continues. “It was always looking through the lens of, what did this look like 125 years ago, and what was the nature of this place or town? Whether it was a gold mining town in British Columbia, or a trading port somewhere in Winnipeg.”
When Creelman travelled through India, he would’ve been doing so in a country still ruled by colonial powers, lacking independence. Seeing how India has since changed was another point of interest for Trotter.
“When Karl was there (India), it was the height of Queen Victoria’s British Empire, and the gem of the crown of England,” Trotter explains. “So much has happened in the last 125 years, and so much that we’re still in terms of the ideas of colonialism and what transpired, and all those negative impacts of an empire.”
Sri Lanka was similarly ruled by colonial powers, but during Trotter’s journey, her trip was delayed from 2023 to 2025 due to the country’s economic and political crisis, due in part to mismanagement by political leaders.
“Even though it was out of order, I did end my visit in Sri Lanka, and it felt quite fitting,” she says. “The end of the trip in a country that is, hopefully, having the opportunity to transform and have a bit more stability. It was a beautiful country, and I only wish I had more time. I think that was the case in many places.”
The last night of Trotter’s journey was spent in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. She watched as families gathered on the stretch of green grass near the seaside, enjoying their time together, walking and picnicking.
“There’s a Sri Lankan flag there, and they always have members of the military raise it, but every evening at sunset, there’s quite a formal taking down of the flag. That was one of the last nights on the last part of the travel, so it just felt quite symbolic.”
When Creelman travelled, he would have a letter from the mayor of Truro and the Prime Minister of Canada, saying that he was of good character and asking to lend him board and food while he undertook his journey. He would be interviewed by journalists wherever he went, who would write and publish articles about the Canadian riding around their city or town on his signature red bird bicycle.
“They kept referring to him as this plucky young man, and his pluckiness,” says Trotter. “I quite like that word. I don’t think we really use it at all anymore, but I think about that now, thinking of Karl and his adventure. Even for me, that idea of being with grit, with determination, with perseverance.”
With her journey complete, Trotter has been compiling her final thoughts and photos on her blog while working on a manuscript in hopes of writing a book about her journey. Those interested can hear from Trotter herself in the second part of her lecture series at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 6:30pm, free admission.