Blog
Shantyboat Dotty Fleeing Fires
During the California fires we had to flee our home…
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Remembering Betty Goins
Remembering Betty Goins who passed away yesterday. We had the…
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Running the Negros Out of Town
A look at American ethnic cleansing
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You Asked Me To Write A Book
Many of you have told me over the last six…
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The Seven Wonders of Portsmouth
Post by honorary shipmate Andrew Feight Shanty Dotty on the…
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The Tillers – Shanty Boat at Payne Hollow Kentucky [VIDEO]
By and by, I’ll be coming up on Payne Hollow,…
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Secret History at Santa Cruz Ebb & Flow
Thanks to friends who hung out with us and sent…
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Less terror: The shantyboat is fitted for a new winch post [VIDEO]
The Shantyboat takes a field trip down to Watsonville to…
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Michael Swett – Just One Thing at a Time [VIDEO]
This is an excerpt of my interview with Michael Swett.…
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Vrinda Quintero – To Me the River Is [VIDEO]
Excerpt of interview with Vrinda Quintero about growing up in…
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Marietta Times: Artist will stop in Marietta on Ohio River journey
The culture of people who have grown up and lived…
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Shantyboat Dotty in Felton Remembers Parade [VIDEO]
Shantyboat Dotty and crew in Felton Remember Parade
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Exploring Our Very Own San Lorenzo River
This year, the folks at the arts council making Ebb…
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Roland Law’s Wildest Dream for the San Lorenzo River [VIDEO]
Roland Law talks about his conservation work along the banks…
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George Ow Jr Tells Us About Chinatowns along the San Lorenzo River [VIDEO]
An interview with George Ow Jr. along the banks of…
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Interview with Leo Cruz along the San Lorenzo River [VIDEO]
Interview with Leo Cruz about growing up near a river…
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We Need Your Help
This year, the project is exploring the rich and important American…
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Sea King
This is the new SEA KING outboard motor we bought…
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An Exhibition at Louisville’s Portland Museum
In early February, we staged an exhibition at Portland Museum…
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The “Mad” Ohio: the Great Ohio River Flood of 1937
The greatest natural disaster in Tri-State history happened in January-February…
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Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 Ohio River Valley Documentary [VIDEO]
Enjoy this charming (and educational) 1941 documentary covers the process…
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River Tramps: The Strange Floating Population Found on the Ohio
Where shantyboat history has been hard to come by on…
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Searching for Living Native History in the Ohio River Valley
I've been going crazy all evening looking for native people…
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Remembering Tom Holman creator of Bomfire Pizza in Sabula, Iowa
There simply is not enough that can be said about…
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Honoring Tim Mason and the Floating Shantyboat Library
I just found out that the world has become poorer…
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We’re Headed to the Ohio River
We are happy to announce that in summer 2019 the…
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River Voices (Unofficial Cut) – 2018 Trailer
A collaboration between artists Wes Modes and Lauren Kincaid-Filbey
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Best Friend I’ve Never Met
For many years I’ve had a total friend crush on…
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A Word About Process
A word about process. And an exploration of the dérive,…
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Thinking more about environmental toxins
“For over 45 years, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been…
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If we mention that old river towns are dying, we really mean they are being killed [VIDEO]
In the towns we’ve visited across America, the historic heart…
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We are on the water!
Just a quick note to let you know that yes,…
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We Outta Here
A flurry of activity and a world of underestimation
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What This Means
Sometimes as the world falls apart, as the drumbeats of…
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I live on a shantyboat and float major American Rivers to hear people’s stories. Ask me anything
Our Reddit AMA is live now at https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/8fd7y9/i_live_on_a_shantyboat_and_float_major_american/ We wanted…
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New York Exhibition Walkthrough [VIDEO]
In July 2018, WhiteBox Art Space in New York is…
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Where we’ll be when on the Hudson River
As you know we are busy preparing our journey on the…
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Furgary Boat Club & Shantytown [VIDEO]
In the city of Hudson, known to tourists for its…
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BBC Slow Radio – Life on a shanty boat [AUDIO]
A 20-minute watery odyssey - idling down the Tennessee River…
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BBC Outlook – Building my own ‘shanty boat’ [AUDIO]
Wes Modes has spent the last few summers sailing along…
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BBC Between The Ears – The Shanty Boat [AUDIO]
In a rich tapestry of watery atmosphere, frustration, intimacy, fear…
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We’re Headed to New York
The Hudson River: Environmental fights. Mahican, Munsee and Wappinger removals.…
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We’re Headed to New York
The Hudson River: Environmental fights. Mahican, Munsee and Wappinger removals.…
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The Mysteries of America’s Only Town Built By and For Chinese
We explore various delta towns, including a rare Chinese rural…
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Busy Busy Busy in the State Capitol
Exhibits, new friends, interviews, party boats, and beachcombing in Sacramento
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Beautiful Places Between This and That
After Colusa, the character of the river changed. The levees…
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Tell Us About Shantyboat Communities
Everywhere we go, we keep hearing that once upon a…
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Closest Thing to Civilization Between Red Bluff and Sac
We’d been looking forward to our arrival in Colusa. Not…
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A Wild River
A treacherous adventure down a hazard-choked river - Rides from…
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Fits and Starts
I’m struggling with how to describe our strange fits-and-starts launch…
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Okay, we’re off
After months of prep, a month-long fundraiser, weeks of long…
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Are We Going To Die on the Sacramento River?
There are a few things that worry me. Because of…
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What River is Next?
People ask us all the time, "What river will we…
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Working Working Working
Less than two weeks before we launch. We've been doing…
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River Voices – 2017 Trailer [VIDEO]
After 3 years of fieldwork, 1000 river miles, 15,000 road…
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A River Playlist [AUDIO]
A music playlist that you can use as the moody…
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Great rewards – Check out the Kickstarter
The work we do with the Secret History of American…
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How shantyboats helped build a culture [VIDEO]
A great video about the project by Kirsten Dirksen “I…
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Fair Companies: How shantyboats down the Mississippi helped build a culture
Long before Wes Modes began planning a journey down the…
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Outfit the Shantyboat
As part of our upcoming fundraiser to support our summer…
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Ask Me Anything!
We did a Reddit AMA. We've done AMAs in 2014…
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Looking Back at the War Against the Dakota People in Minnesota [AUDIO]
I was reminded of these interviews recently, and how little…
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People ask all the time about how the shantyboat was built
Now, all of the shantyboat build process is available on…
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Freddie’s Dead
You may remember that our 1978 20 hp Mercury outboard…
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This Summer’s Expedition on the Sacramento River
In previous years, Modes has exhibited the project in the…
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A Journey Home
Two weeks in Paducah and then a hellbent journey across…
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Oh no! Freddie’s transmission died in the middle of Lake Kentucky
Oh no! We lost the rest of Freddie's transmission in…
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Secret History is largely a donation supported project and your…
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Gene Davidson owner of the Clifton Marina
We talked to Gene Davidson who owns the Clifton Marina.…
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Glen Lineberry worked on towboats for 50 years
He worked for 40 years on line towboats that would…
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Tori Bailey of WZZA Soul Radio
We very nearly interviewed Tori Bailey, possibly the busiest person…
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Emma Lee Dean-Dykes Troup, openly trans woman in small town Alabama
Interview with Emma Lee Dean-Dyke Troup, openly trans woman in…
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Bob Perry, Chickasaw elder and Annie Perry, knowledgable about the history of the area
Interview with Bob & Annie Perry at Tuscumbia Landing. Bob…
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An interview with artist Butch Anthony literally sitting in Cypress Creek [AUDIO]
An interview with artist Butch Anthony literally sitting in Cypress…
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Join us for a Secret History exhibition at Kennedy Douglass…
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Florence Courier-Journal: The River’s Life and People
A rustic recreated 1940s shanty boat, a daring river voyage,…
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A Morning with Zachary Nelson [AUDIO]
We ran into Zach Nelson while we were docked at…
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Sonnie Hereford, Civil Rights Pioneer
We were fortunate to be able to talk to Sonnie…
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An Interview with the Arsenal Archaeologist
I had the opportunity to interview Ben Hoksbergen, archaeologist for…
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Doris Turner – What does the river mean to you? [VIDEO]
Excerpt from interview with Dorris Turner in Guntersville, Alabama along…
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TVA bans new floating homes, but allows existing homes to stay
Since the 1950s, floating homes on the water have been…
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Knoxville Mercury: Life Aboard the Shantyboat Dotty [SLIDESHOW]
Knoxville Mercury By Clay Duda [metaslider id=5031]
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An Hour of Cicadas [AUDIO]
Want to know what these warm summer nights sound like?…
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Gifts From Strangers
We are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers. We…
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Sam Houston and the Secret History of Hiwassee Island
He ran away from home and lived with an eccentric…
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The Problem with Large Boats
"Every year, boats are getting bigger and bigger." Numerous people…
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Knoxville, Tennessee
We are in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee where the weather is…
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How You Make This Project Happen
I’ve already mentioned to you that the Secret History project…
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So Far So Good
As I type we are speeding down an Oklahoma highway…
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The Battle Against the Ever-Growing Ever-Multiplying ToDo List Monster
Oh god. Down to a matter of hours before we…
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Preparing the Shantyboat
We've been working like mad to get the boat ready…
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A Crazy Plan to Launch the Shantyboat in the Ocean [Video]
We launched in the Santa Cruz Harbor yesterday and pulled the boat…
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Kickstarter: Just a Few Days Left and Almost There
We are trying to raise $5580 before May 31st to…
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A Tangle of Wires, Shredded Tin, and a Descent Into Madness
Just a few weeks until we leave! Aaaa! Panic! Electrical…
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What the hell are we doing?
Well, there is some beer drinking, some power tool noises,…
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Going Into the Third Year of This Successful Project
Thanks to you, the second year expedition of the Secret…
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Fundraising for the Tennessee River
I’m excited to tell you that the Secret History project…
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Shantyboat Near Dubuque, Iowa [VIDEO]
Shanytboat video taken by the Open Research Buoy.
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Shanty Boat Blues [Audio]
Jimmy Murphy recorded Shanty Boat Blues sometimes in the late…
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A Magical Gathering of Artists
Minneapolis successfully attempts to woo us with its charms.
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