We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.

How Fort-unate!

Although many military forts in Canada are similar, they’re not all the same. There are lots of different designs for forts and their buildings, for good reasons.

The Halifax Citadel is a great example of a star-shaped fort. These forts, which have walls that form several points, are easier to defend because soldiers can fire out in all directions.

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Credit: Flickr/jiadoldol

In many forts, you’ll find blockhouses, like the ones shown above, at Fort George near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Blockhouses were simple structures, was usually made from wood, or sometimes stone. The second floor was bigger than the first floor. The part that stuck out had little trap doors the soldiers could open and fire out of if the enemy made it inside the fort’s walls.

Credit: Flickr/Joe

There are Martello towers all over Canada. These rather short, round towers allowed a cannon to swing all the way around inside and fire in any direction. You can tour the Murney Tower in Kingston, Ont., or check out the Carleton Martello Tower in Saint John, N.B.

Credit: Flickr/New Brunswick Tourism