In Idaho, when you talk about a wanigan (or wannigan), you really should distinguish whether you mean a little one, or a really, really big one.
Traditionally, a wanigan is a dry box for a canoe. You could store all your gear in there, including food. If you have in mind building a canoe, you might want to start with the wanigan so you’ll get a little practice working with wood.
Or, if you are very dedicated to working with wood as a career, you might have a much larger wanigan in mind. During the heyday of log drives, especially in Northern Idaho, a wanigan was a house-size shelter on a raft that followed the log drive down a river. The kitchen and dining area for the logging crew was located on the wanigan. Many even had sleeping quarters.
The word came from the Algonquian language and was first seen in print about 1848.
Traditionally, a wanigan is a dry box for a canoe. You could store all your gear in there, including food. If you have in mind building a canoe, you might want to start with the wanigan so you’ll get a little practice working with wood.
Or, if you are very dedicated to working with wood as a career, you might have a much larger wanigan in mind. During the heyday of log drives, especially in Northern Idaho, a wanigan was a house-size shelter on a raft that followed the log drive down a river. The kitchen and dining area for the logging crew was located on the wanigan. Many even had sleeping quarters.
The word came from the Algonquian language and was first seen in print about 1848.
Wanigan on the Clearwater, courtesy of the Forest History Society.
Inside the cookhouse and dining hall of a wanigan, courtesy of the Clearwater Historical Society.
Courtesy of the Forest History Society.
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