​The WCHM canoe trailer recently traveled to Sturtevant WI to pick up two Joseph Lucius canoes from Kathy Strasser at School Days Mall Antiques. Kathy inherited these wonderful examples of Lucius work from the estate of Henry Lamont, and is now donating them to the WCHM Collections. The two canoes are 15 foot and 12 foot representations of Lucius’ iconic Brule River Guide boats. Lamont acquired the canoes from his uncle, Wilmer Baker of Gordon WI who purchased them in the 1950s from Lucius.  They have been stored indoors for many years, are in wonderful condition, and come with original paddles, poles, purchase receipts and hand written letters from Joe. WCHM member Marty Aitken came from Racine to help get the canoes down from the third floor of an old school building. The canoes are now back in Spooner in WCHM storage.

​It’s been nearly five years since the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum established the WCHM Perpetuity Endowment Fund “to ensure the financial stability and continued operations of WCHM for the long term.” Established by an initial fundraising campaign that netted $30,000, it has since grown by 50% while being managed by the Wisconsin Historical Foundation, an arm of the Wisconsin Historical Society. “We need to continue growing this fund,” says WCHM Executive Director Jed Malischke, “if we want to make sure the museum is still here in ten, twenty, thirty years and beyond.”