Photo by Rory Doyle | bittersoutherner.com
C L A R K S D A L E , M I S S I S S I P P I
Few know the Mississippi River better than John Ruskey. John celebrates the Mighty Mississippi through craft, creation, and advocacy. As the founder of Quapaw Canoe Company, John has spent over twenty years hand crafting canoes and guiding expeditions down the River. Quapaw Canoe Company makes canoes two ways: the stripper method, using strips of wood and the dugout method which entails hollowing out large logs. John is one of the most experienced builders of dugout canoes in the country. For John, the process of building a canoe is akin to creating a wonderful piece of artwork. Every vessel is unique, and the end product is a functional piece of art. Mastering this craft has taken years of practicestarting with an apprenticeship under master canoe builder Ralph Frese from 1998-1999. Under Frese, John constructed his first cypress strip voyageur canoe, named “The Ladybug.”
John’s passion for the Mighty Mississippi has been within him since he was a young man. “The Mississippi River called to me through Mark Twain initially, I read Life on the Mississippi and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” says John in an interview for “Meet the Locals: John Ruskey of Helena’s Quapaw Canoe Company” by Arkansas Tourism. As a teenager, John and one of his best friends built a twelve by twenty-four-foot raft and floated down the Mississippi River for five months. The services offered by Quapaw Canoe Company allow others to experience that same kind of adventure. “The River is kind of an undiscovered wilderness and we’re here to help people who otherwise would be a little nervous about getting out there on those big, intimidating waters feel better about doing it. We’ll take care of everything!” says John. The Quapaw Canoe Company has three locations: Helena, Arkansas, Clarksdale, and an outpost in Vicksburg. They offer everything from guided, overnight expeditions to day trips and yoga retreats.
John is determined to keep the art of canoe making alive by sharing his passion with the youth of the Mississippi Delta through the founding of the Mighty Quapaws Apprenticeship Program. A similar program exists at the Helena location called the Helena Canoe Club. Through these programs, Quapaw Canoe Company provides youth an opportunity channel their energy into creating something magnificent. In many ways participants are able to learn how to overcome personal challenges through the process ofcarving a canoe.
His love for nature and the Mississippi manifests in other art forms beyond canoe making. John is a talented artist, musician, and writer. His writings capture the experience of floating many of the largest rivers in North America including the Mississippi, the Colorado, the Rio Grande, the Arkansas, the Columbia and more. His work includes The Wild Miles and the Rivergator: Paddler’s Guide to the Lower Mississippi River.
John’s passion for the Mighty Mississippi has been within him since he was a young man. “The Mississippi River called to me through Mark Twain initially, I read Life on the Mississippi and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” says John in an interview for “Meet the Locals: John Ruskey of Helena’s Quapaw Canoe Company” by Arkansas Tourism. As a teenager, John and one of his best friends built a twelve by twenty-four-foot raft and floated down the Mississippi River for five months. The services offered by Quapaw Canoe Company allow others to experience that same kind of adventure. “The River is kind of an undiscovered wilderness and we’re here to help people who otherwise would be a little nervous about getting out there on those big, intimidating waters feel better about doing it. We’ll take care of everything!” says John. The Quapaw Canoe Company has three locations: Helena, Arkansas, Clarksdale, and an outpost in Vicksburg. They offer everything from guided, overnight expeditions to day trips and yoga retreats.
John is determined to keep the art of canoe making alive by sharing his passion with the youth of the Mississippi Delta through the founding of the Mighty Quapaws Apprenticeship Program. A similar program exists at the Helena location called the Helena Canoe Club. Through these programs, Quapaw Canoe Company provides youth an opportunity channel their energy into creating something magnificent. In many ways participants are able to learn how to overcome personal challenges through the process ofcarving a canoe.
His love for nature and the Mississippi manifests in other art forms beyond canoe making. John is a talented artist, musician, and writer. His writings capture the experience of floating many of the largest rivers in North America including the Mississippi, the Colorado, the Rio Grande, the Arkansas, the Columbia and more. His work includes The Wild Miles and the Rivergator: Paddler’s Guide to the Lower Mississippi River.
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John is a strong voice for the Mississippi River; Southern Living magazine referred to him as an “environmental evangelist for the wonders of the Mississippi River.” He founded the Lower Mississippi River Foundation nine years ago in order to promote access, education, and the betterment of public outdoor recreation on the Middle and Lower Mississippi Rivers. Further, John is on the steering committee of the Mississippi River Network. The Mississippi River Network oversees the 1Mississippi River Citizen Program which is an organization that encourages individuals to take action to protect the Mississippi River from further pollution and destruction.
The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters awarded John the Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. The Polk Award is awarded to a Mississippi artist whose body of work is worthy of extraordinary praise. As Mississippians, we are fortunate to have John encouraging us to be better citizens of this state by being more deliberate caretakers of the Mighty Mississippi.
To find out more about Quapaw Canoe Company please visit www.island63.com. |To get involved with the 1Mississippi River Citizen Program please visit www.1misssissippi.org |To read John’s work you can head to www.wildmiles.org and www.rivergator.org
The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters awarded John the Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. The Polk Award is awarded to a Mississippi artist whose body of work is worthy of extraordinary praise. As Mississippians, we are fortunate to have John encouraging us to be better citizens of this state by being more deliberate caretakers of the Mighty Mississippi.
To find out more about Quapaw Canoe Company please visit www.island63.com. |To get involved with the 1Mississippi River Citizen Program please visit www.1misssissippi.org |To read John’s work you can head to www.wildmiles.org and www.rivergator.org
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