In 1934, when Joe Seliga was 23 years old, his 18 foot Morris Canoe was badly damaged on an early spring fishing trip in the Quetico Superior Wilderness near his home in the then roadless, Ely, MN. Joe repaired the canoe's 21 broken ribs and when word spread about his success, he started a part-time business repairing wood and canvas canoes. In 1938, Joe designed his own form and sold the first canoe he ever built the same day he finished building it. Up until his death in December of 2005, Seliga built 621 canoes (237 of which were sold to the YMCA and church camps which used the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park) and is regarded as one of the best canoe makers to ever live.In Jerry Stelmok's book, The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga, Sam Cook's foreword reads in part:
They are tucked away all over the north country. Hung care fully in garages. Resting on beams in boathouses. Stowed away in sheds. Seliga canoes. Elegant, practical canoes crafted by the hands of Joe and Nora Seliga. Seligas, with their gleaming ribs the color of honey. Seligas, with their perfectly upswept bows. Seligas, built for the rigors of travel in the Minnesota-Ontario border country.I do not know how many canoes Joe Seliga has built. That doesn't matter. It was never a numbers thing with Joe. It was a matter of getting the right materials and taking the time to build a boat he was satisfied to put his nameplate on.
Read: Joe Seliga on Canoeing.comTons more great photos: Seliga Enthusiasts Look: Bell Canoes' Seliga TripperMP3: Clip From Solitudes Volume 6 - Night On A Wilderness Lake (Full Album)(thx Bryce)