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Introduction
The canoe culture in the Midwest and in Minnesota cannot be readily described without considering the many different aspects that make it a culture in the first place. I have explored a variety of ideas that together help explain the canoeing culture in Minnesota and the wilderness experience it provides. To start, there is a long history of canoeing in the area and in Canada that began with American Indians and was introduced to settlers as need dictated during the fur trade. In addition to a strong history, however, there is a remarkable sense of cabin culture in Minnesota, which continues to connect Minnesotans to nature, instilling a love for wilderness, and a desire to seek further wilderness experiences.
Though both of these things add to the canoeing culture, it would still be incomplete without looking at policies that guide recreational use of a wilderness area, and thus for all practical purposes I have looked at the policies of the BWCA as a tourist destination. This includes considering policies undertaken to take the necessary measures taken to protect the park from undo duress.
The study would also be incomplete without including scholarly perspectives on the role of designated wilderness areas and national parks, relationships between humans and nature, and the different services nature provides humans. These perspectives provide us with an ethical framework in which we can seek to understand the canoeing culture within greater themes of humans and nature.
Picture was drawn by Francis Lee Jaques and was obtained from Florence Page Jaques (c.1938).