Canoe Histories
Many thanks to Bruce Casselton for his work transcribing the log books.
If some other significant history is missing or incorrect, please let us know.
YMCA Camp Widjiwagan maintains a fleet of over 200 canoes, over half of them wood/canvas or wood/fiberglass. Here are their stories.
The information for each wood-canvas or wood-fiberglass canoe was pulled from a variety of resources - the “recipe cards” of the 1950s to early 1970s; the canoe inventory sheets from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000; miscellaneous records; Old Town and Seliga build records; and in some cases, memory. The comments made by campers in Camper Canoe journals (initiated in 1993 but kept up irregularly since then) detail the role of the wood canoe in a Widjiwagan trail group.
As former staffer Dwight Ericsson wrote in Widjiwagan: A history, From 1989 to 2004, “The use of, and respect for, the wood-canvas canoe is a very fundamental expression of how Widjiwagan approaches wilderness camping. It touches on tradition and history, it touches on intentional care of all that one comes in contact with, from equipment, to the environment, to persons, and it teaches an appreciation of craftsmanship and the beauty of a thing well done. The wood canoe has become a kind of metaphor for all that Widjiwagan values. It is a thing of grace and beauty, enhancing the quality of a wilderness by its very presence.”
In an article published in The Camper, May 2003, Matt Poppleton said “the wood canoe stands out as a testament to Widjiwagan’s philosophy of simplicity and respect.”
As you read these entries you’ll notice that individual camper or staffer names were not included here, although they may be included in the individual canoe journal. That was an early design decision. You’ll also notice that for some lakes the name spelling varies from group to group for each canoe. Throughout, the spelling used by the group archivist was used here, although in perhaps too many instances, there may be misspellings made by the person entering this information. It is expected that the reader will be able to figure it out.
Canoes are often given nicknames by campers and staff – Old Grandpa, Olga, Cloud 9, Madeline, Maddie, Bud, Miss Tipsy, Tank, Jack, etc. - and are embraced as members of the group. We hope you’ll embrace the canoes as you read some of their history.