Uncover the currents of memory

The water carries stories—of resilience, loss, and survival, of those who live at its edges. Like the river, we are shaped by what we carry.

Recent Quick Dispatches

Short dispatches from the river and beyond

  • A Totally Reasonable and Not At All Overdramatic Fix

    A Totally Reasonable and Not At All Overdramatic Fix

    There are plenty of important things to do to get the shantyboat ready for the river. But today? Today is about comfort. Specifically, preventing the captain from thrashing their hand on jagged metal one more time. So instead of working on, say, navigation or rigging, we’ve formed a shantyboat sewing circle, painstakingly whip-stitching 320 feet…

    Quick Peek

  • Rebooting the River

    Rebooting the River

    Unveiling our completely rebuilt website—a fresh digital home for river stories, oral histories, and shantyboat adventures. It’s faster, cleaner, and born from countless hours of deep work. Witness the transformation as you explore interactive interviews, videos, and maps that bring decades of river life to light. Dive in at peoplesriverhistory.org. Join us on this incredible…

    Quick Peek

  • We Violated the One Cardinal Rule of Boats

    We Violated the One Cardinal Rule of Boats

    We moved everything not nailed down out of the shantyboat, derattified, scrubbed, laundered, and hosed down every inch we could reach—including the bilges. Yes, we put water inside the boat on purpose. Dotty is now cleaner than she’s been in more than ten years… well, except for the places we can’t reach.

    Quick Peek

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Recent Field Reports

Longer reports from the field

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Follow the River to Its Deeper Currents

What draws us back to the river, year after year? How does the project challenge dominant history? How do river communities respond to change? Explore the deeper ideas that shape our journey.

Meet Our Interviewees

Conversations with people who live and work on the river

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