Partners in History Program: Wenonah Canoe Story

Come and hear the story of Wenonah Canoe where owner Mike Cichanowski built his first canoe in 1965. Mike was born to paddle. He grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River, where he cultivated a love for the water and an insatiable curiosity to explore it. First with his father’s canoe. Later, with wood-strip canoes he built as a teenager. Fiberglass models soon emerged from the family garage. The roots of those same designs are still evident today in some of Wenonah’s most iconic canoes. Through the years, they’ve watched competitors sell to holding companies and move manufacturing overseas to the lowest bidder. Mike’s team in Winona still convenes shareholder meetings at the kitchen table and sneaks out early on Fridays to paddle the Mississippi. It’s been a philosophy and way of life at Wenonah Canoe for over 50 years. Their website says it all, “If you’re lucky enough to be a paddler, you’re lucky enough!”