Field Reports
Deeper dives into the journey—reflections, encounters, and unfolding narratives from the riverbanks. The long view of a life afloat.
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Shantyboat Dotty Fleeing Fires
During the California fires we had to flee our home with the Shantyboat Dotty in tow. We made safe camp in a field with neighbors where we created a temporary compound for four adults, one toddler, two dogs, and two kittens.
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The Seven Wonders of Portsmouth
Post by honorary shipmate Andrew Feight Shanty Dotty on the Ohio, tied up at the Anchor Pad in Portsmouth, Ohio (18 July 2019). Earlier this week I had the pleasure of sitting for an interview with Wes Modes. Funded with a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, Wes and his two shipmates (production assistants) are…
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Secret History at Santa Cruz Ebb & Flow
Thanks to friends who hung out with us and sent us photos of the shantyboat at Ebb & Flow River Arts Festival at the Tannery in Santa Cruz. Ebb & Flow River Arts Festival is a celebration of our local San Lorenzo River and brings together artists from all over the county. The work of…
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Less terror: The shantyboat is fitted for a new winch post
The Shantyboat takes a field trip down to Watsonville to be fitted for a new winch post. In the meantime the old one is cut off, and the shantyboat is secured by a janky system of ratchet straps. Roy Large of Large’s Fabrication made us a new winch post for the trailer and fixed the…
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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 on the banks of America’s great rivers has largely been left out of history, and Wes Modes has set out to share them.
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Exploring Our Very Own San Lorenzo River
This year, the folks at the arts council making Ebb & Flow happen wanted to build the celebration around a series of stories from San Lorenzo River people.
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We Need Your Help
This year, the project is exploring the rich and important American history of the Ohio River Valley touching on the the dramatic geography, the history of westward expansion and early settlements in the territory, American Indian relations and removal, self-emancipated people, abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad, river modification by the Army Corp of Engineers, the important role…
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Sea King
This is the new SEA KING outboard motor we bought sight-unseen off craigslist for the Louisville exhibition. I believe it is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’d love to tell you that this 5 hp motor is going to be the new power for the shantyboat, but all things considered, I think we’ll stick…
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An Exhibition at Louisville’s Portland Museum
In early February, we staged an exhibition at Portland Museum in the Portland Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. This was the full shebang with photographs, video of interview excerpts, and expedition footage, ambient video and audio, and installation components. A full size johnboat and pier were built out in the Portland’s Comstock Gallery. Originally, we were…
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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 1937 when the river rose to 79.9 feet and floodwaters
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River Tramps: The Strange Floating Population Found on the Ohio
Where shantyboat history has been hard to come by on the four other rivers we’ve visited, on the Ohio River, one need only Google for shantyboat and the name of any town along the five states that front the river.
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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 in the Ohio River Valley.
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Remembering Tom Holman creator of Bomfire Pizza in Sabula, Iowa
There simply is not enough that can be said about Tom Holman who helped preserve river culture and build community along the banks of a small town on the Mississippi River.
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Honoring Tim Mason and the Floating Shantyboat Library
I just found out that the world has become poorer and less interesting. We lost Tim Mason who ran the world’s only floating shantyboat library aboard his shantyboat Driftless with his wife Sara. You may remember that I interviewed Tim in the summer of 2015 in Marquette, Iowa. At the time I wrote: Tim Mason is…
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We’re Headed to the Ohio River
We are happy to announce that in summer 2019 the Secret History project will be doing fieldwork on the Ohio River.
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River Voices (Unofficial Cut) – 2018 Trailer
Our 2018 trailer video featuring river people from 1250 miles of the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers.
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Best Friend I’ve Never Met
For many years I’ve had a total friend crush on John Young who started the original Guerilla Drive-In in West Chester, Pennsylvania (note below that he claims I had the idea first). This year, finally, the Hudson River brings us together. Here’s his sweet version of this story: Kate, Lydia, and I are headed to…
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A Word About Process
A word about process. And an exploration of the dérive, the Situationist practice of an unplanned journey through an urban landscape, where wanderers abandon their preconceptions and “let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there”
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Thinking more about environmental toxins
“For over 45 years, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been at the forefront of the environmental movement as champion of the Hudson River, working to pass landmark legislation like the Clean Water Act, and providing innovative educational programs, environmental advocacy, and musical celebrations, including the renowned annual Clearwater Festival, to inspire, educate, and activate millions…
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If we mention that old river towns are dying, we really mean they are being killed
In the towns we’ve visited across America, the historic heart of small river towns are dying. Or more accurately, they are being killed by the Walmartization of everything. We are currently in upstate New York in Fort Edward on the Hudson River and this town is no exception. This despite the best efforts of people…
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We are on the water!
Just a quick note to let you know that yes, after four harrowing hair-silvering days on the road, over 3,038 miles through 12 states, we arrived safely in New York with no major mishaps. No wheels fell off. No engines or transmissions exploded. We made it to the quaint little town of Whitehall, New York.…
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What This Means
Sometimes as the world falls apart, as the drumbeats of war sound, as ubiquitous corruption exposes the true values of capitalism, as the torrential rain of violence exposes America’s racist foundations, as people here and elsewhere suffer and hunger and thirst and die, why should my life’s work come to this? Is it conscionable to…
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Join our Spring Fundraiser!
We are trying to raise $8000 by Saturday May 26 to collect forgotten stories along the Hudson River, and stage a major exhibition in New York City. Your support is critical.
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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 to let you know about something happening with the project on Friday. But first some background… The online community Reddit invites notable guests to participate in public forums where participants can ask questions. These are called AMAs (for Ask Me Anything!). They have featured olympic medalists,…
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New York Exhibition Walkthrough
In July 2018, WhiteBox Art Space in New York is exhibiting A Secret History of American River People.
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Where we’ll be when on the Hudson River
As you know we are busy preparing our journey on the Hudson River. That preparation involves researching the river and towns we will visit, making contacts with potential interviewees, and lining up exhibitions and funding. One of the very first tasks of new river planning is mapping out river towns, their relative locations on the river, and…
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Furgary Boat Club & Shantytown
In the city of Hudson, known to tourists for its antique shops and fine dining, a cluster of century-old fishing shacks from the Hudson River estuary’s once prosperous shad fishery teeters on the waterfront.
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BBC Slow Radio – Life on a shanty boat
A 20-minute watery odyssey – idling down the Tennessee River with the best thunderstorm in a tin shack you are ever going to hear… and some frogs…
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BBC Outlook – Building my own ‘shanty boat’
Wes Modes has spent the last few summers sailing along the great rivers of north America, collecting stories from the people who live on their banks. Wes travels in his homemade houseboat – or shanty boat – called Dotty.
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BBC Between The Ears – The Shanty Boat
In a rich tapestry of watery atmosphere, frustration, intimacy, fear and pleasure, we hear a slipping, sliding adventure, where the smell of pancakes, the slap of water and the smoke of cigars wafts over the waters of Americas great rivers.
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We’re Headed to New York
The Hudson River: Environmental fights. Mahican, Munsee and Wappinger removals. Northern slavery, resistance, and abolition. Fights against the pervasive control of capital. Historical and contemporary conflict. Who do you know who shoulders the weight of that history today? Who lives the legacy of that struggle now?
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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 community.
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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 moved right up near the river and most of the banks were rocked creating a channel walled from the adjacent fields by a thin scrim of trees. In many places, roads ran atop the levees so drivers were startled to see what appeared to be…
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Tell Us About Shantyboat Communities
Everywhere we go, we keep hearing that once upon a time, there were communities of shantyboaters living just at the edge of town along the river. We are putting the call out for you to contribute your story.
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Closest Thing to Civilization Between Red Bluff and Sac
We’d been looking forward to our arrival in Colusa. Not only was it the largest town on the Sacramento River between Red Bluff and Sac, but it was also the furthest south I’d ever been on the river on my three earlier raft and canoe trips. So everything from here on out would be completely…
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A Wild River
A treacherous adventure down a hazard-choked river – Rides from strangers – Water emergency – An Interview – Mr. Johnson fixed – Birthday pie
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Fits and Starts
I’m struggling with how to describe our strange fits-and-starts launch on the Sacramento River at Red Bluff. I’ll tell you right up front like a postmodern mystery novel that the culprit was Bad Gas.
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Okay, we’re off
After months of prep, a month-long fundraiser, weeks of long hard work days on the shantyboat, months of research, tons of help from from friends, and help from our sponsors, we are finally off on the road toward the river.
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Are We Going To Die on the Sacramento River?
There are a few things that worry me. Because of the very wet California winter, water levels are high and I’ve heard flow rates are intense. Additionally, the Sacramento River is full of hazards including snags, sweepers, strainers, rocks, stump fields, and eddies.
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What River is Next?
People ask us all the time, “What river will we be on next?” We put a lot of thought into which river we’ll spend our summer fieldwork. So far, it’s been mostly year by year. And there are a lot of considerations in choosing.
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Working Working Working
Less than two weeks before we launch. We’ve been doing a ton of work and there is still a ton of work to do. Here’s an update on stuff done:
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Great rewards – Check out the Kickstarter
The work we do with the Secret History of American River People has never been more important. At a time when underprivileged voices are being silenced, it is critical that these stories be heard.
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How shantyboats helped build a culture
A great video about the project by Kirsten Dirksen “I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable” “Dry Salvages”, T.S. Eliot Long before Wes Modes began planning a journey down the Mississippi, he started building a traditional barge-bottom houseboat in a California…
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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 Mississippi, he started building a traditional barge-bottom houseboat in a California backyard out of rustic reclaimed materials (e.g. old fences and chicken coops). Once his shantyboat was complete he hatched a plan to transport it across the country from Santa Cruz to Minnesota to begin…
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Outfit the Shantyboat
As part of our upcoming fundraiser to support our summer fieldwork, you can help outfit the shantyboat.
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Ask Me Anything!
We did a Reddit AMA. We’ve done AMAs in 2014 and 2015. They were fun and people asked us good and sometimes funny questions. Hope you can check out this year’s and ask a question or two.
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Looking Back at the War Against the Dakota People in Minnesota
I was reminded of these interviews recently, and how little I know when I heard a radio story about the U.S.-Dakota War.The conflict engulfed the very area in which I interviewed the Dakota men. I hadn’t asked Arthur or Art directly about the conflict, though we alluded to it when we talked about the Ft. Snelling Indian concentration…
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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 the Secret History website. From hull framing, sheeting, fiberglass, to cabin framing to finish
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Freddie’s Dead
You may remember that our 1978 20 hp Mercury outboard that we call Freddie Mercury had some engine problems while we were in the middle of Lake Kentucky. A while after we returned home, we took Freddy to one of our few local outboard repair shops. We didn’t hear from him and we didn’t hear…
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This Summer’s Expedition on the Sacramento River
In previous years, Modes has exhibited the project in the Midwest on the Mississippi River and in the Southeast on the Tennessee River. This year, he brings his project “home.”
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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 the middle of Lake Kentucky
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Secret History is largely a donation supported project and your contribution directly supports our fieldwork. Consider supporting the project.
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Gene Davidson owner of the Clifton Marina
We talked to Gene Davidson who owns the Clifton Marina. He’s lived either in Clifton or nearby Waynesboro all of his 80 years. A pharmacist for most of his career, Gene created the marina in the early 2000s after he retired.
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Glen Lineberry worked on towboats for 50 years
He worked for 40 years on line towboats that would travel from the big river ports hauling stuff upriver. He started as deckhand, and worked as mate, assistant engineer, and finally chief engineer for decades.
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Tori Bailey of WZZA Soul Radio
We very nearly interviewed Tori Bailey, possibly the busiest person in the Shoals area. Tori runs WZZA, the only Black radio station in North Alabama, started by her mom and dad in 1972. Tori is also president of the Northwest Alabama NAACP and VP of this and board member of that. Tori organizes the world famous WC…
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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 Florence AL
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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 is a Chickasaw elder and Annie is knowledgable about the history of the area
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An interview with artist Butch Anthony literally sitting in Cypress Creek
An interview with artist Butch Anthony literally sitting in Cypress Creek
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Join us for a Secret History exhibition at Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts in Florence AL. Opening reception Friday at 5:30pm and artist talk Sunday 1-3pm. Shantyboat Open House at Florence Harbor Marina Friday 2-4pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday and Monday 4pm-7pm.#shantyboat #art #alabama #exhibitions #socialpractice (http://ift.tt/2aRiGzw)
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Florence Courier-Journal: The River’s Life and People
A rustic recreated 1940s shanty boat, a daring river voyage, and a meticulous archive of river stories are all part of a multi-year art and history project, A Secret History of American River People. Santa Cruz, California artist Wes Modes is currently floating his homemade houseboat down the historic Tennessee River.
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A Morning with Zachary Nelson
We ran into Zach Nelson while we were docked at Brickyard Marina. He brought over his 72 year-old grandfather Joe who told us stories while Zach played our shantyboat guitar.
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Sonnie Hereford, Civil Rights Pioneer
We were fortunate to be able to talk to Sonnie Hereford IV, who at the age of 5 was the first child to integrate public schools not just in Huntsville, but in Alabama.
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An Interview with the Arsenal Archaeologist
I had the opportunity to interview Ben Hoksbergen, archaeologist for the Redstone Arsenal. He took us upriver in his boat to several artifact sites and up to Paint Rock near the Guntersville Dam to see prehistoric paintings on the rock.
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Doris Turner – What does the river mean to you?
Excerpt from interview with Dorris Turner in Guntersville, Alabama along the banks of the Tennessee River.
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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 an endangered species in the US. With the exception of those on city- or county-owned waters, boathouses are all but extinct on the Mississippi River. On Tennessee Valley Authority controlled waters in the Tennessee River watershed, floating homes are also endangered.
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![Knoxville Mercury: Life Aboard the Shantyboat Dotty [SLIDESHOW]](https://peoplesriverhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/shanty-boat-wes-modes-1910.jpg)
Knoxville Mercury: Life Aboard the Shantyboat Dotty [SLIDESHOW]
Knoxville Mercury By Clay Duda [metaslider id=5031]
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An Hour of Frogs
An ocean of lily pads in a lake on the river host a universe of frogs. Here’s a field recording of frogs in a lily pad field on the Tennessee River near Scottsboro, Alabama at 10pm.
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An Hour of Cicadas
Want to know what these warm summer nights sound like? Here’s a field recording I made of cicadas near the Tennessee River in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee at 10pm.
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Gifts From Strangers
We are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers. We come into town and I’m asking people to participate in the project, to share their stories and their lives, and take time out of their busy lives.
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Sam Houston and the Secret History of Hiwassee Island
He ran away from home and lived with an eccentric Cherokee tribe of about 200 on Hiwassee Island around 1808. He lived with them for two years, during which time he was known as The Raven. He read long passages from the Iliad, which the Cherokee reportedly followed with great interest.
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The Problem with Large Boats
“Every year, boats are getting bigger and bigger.” Numerous people told me this on both the Tennessee River and Mississippi. In our experience, there is an inverse relationship to the size/power of a boat and the respect shown by the driver of it.
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Knoxville, Tennessee
We are in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee where the weather is perfectly warm, the water is cool, there are afternoon summer rain showers, and the people talk with a slow drawl. We arrived on Saturday with no major incidents to our surprise. High-fives were in order.
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How You Make This Project Happen
I’ve already mentioned to you that the Secret History project is a shoestring affair in which our $10K budget is tiny compared to a similarly ambitious project that would be more likely in the $100K range. All true. I’ve shown you these pie charts when you supported the project’s Kickstarter, and you already know that…
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So Far So Good
As I type we are speeding down an Oklahoma highway a few miles from Arkansas and so far the most eventful tragedy on the trip was shattering a full bottle of vodka and a bottle of Kahlua.
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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 pull out of Santa Cruz. And still so much to do. And some of those problems are major problems. Take the last element on our list. “Diagnose electrical.” We identified three separate electrical problems. 1) The accessory battery was not holding a charge, 2) the charging…
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Preparing the Shantyboat
We’ve been working like mad to get the boat ready for the Tennessee River. We pulled the boat into drydock at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Out list of things to do would take two pages if we weren’t willfully ignoring the minor things.
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A Crazy Plan to Launch the Shantyboat in the Ocean
We launched in the Santa Cruz Harbor yesterday and pulled the boat out into dry dock, the shantyboat’s only second voyage in the Pacific Ocean.
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Kickstarter: Just a Few Days Left and Almost There
We are trying to raise $5580 before May 31st to bring the shantyboat to the Tennessee River and work our way downriver collecting stories for the archive. There are only a few days left of this year’s Kickstarter and we are almost there!
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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 work, roof work, and plans for a decent into madness.
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What the hell are we doing?
Well, there is some beer drinking, some power tool noises, some sitting around talking. So, we must be working on the shantyboat to get it ready for the Tennessee River!
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Going Into the Third Year of This Successful Project
Thanks to you, the second year expedition of the Secret History project on the Upper Mississippi River was a huge success. We were pretty sure the second year journey to the river couldn’t be as excitement-filled as the first, but it still included multiple shredded tires, self-destructing axels, and sketchy midnight trailer parts expeditions. But…
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Fundraising for the Tennessee River
I’m excited to tell you that the Secret History project is headed for the American South on the Tennessee River! After two years on the Upper Misssissippi, we’re headed to Knoxville, Tennessee where we have several exhibitions planned. We’ll be on the river for two months ending in Paducah, Kentucky after traveling through Tennessee, Alabama,…
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Farting Around Muscatine and a Sudden Road Trip
We explore small town Iowa life and take a brief break to head back to Minnesota.
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The Final Fate of the Shantyboat Dotty and a Question
What became of us? What became of the Shantyboat Doty? Did the shantyboat sink? Did Hazel, our ships mate, and I have to swim to shore? Did we have to survive on chestnuts and wild mushrooms on an uncharted island in the middle of a remote part of the Mississippi River?
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The Pearl Button Capital of the World
At the turn of the 20th Century, the Mississippi River town of Muscatine, Iowa was one of the most important places in the world. Not only because here was the worldwide source of nearly 40% of all pearl buttons, but because a conflict was brewing that would have consequences for workers throughout the world.
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Mark Twain’s Favorite View of the River
In Muscatine, Iowa there is a point overlooking the river said to be Mark Twain’s favorite. Point overlooking Muscatine (Scroll right →) I never know how much credence to put into such things as people have told me variously that they were at the widest point in the river, the deepest point, the tightest bend,…
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A Land of Sweet Melons and Excellent Tacos
In Muscatine, I met many new friends, received generous gifts, found a river town with a significant Latino population, learned about famous Muscatine Melons, and interviewed the son in-law of the heir to a pearl button fortune.
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Adventures on the Other Side
In which we reveal a possible obsession with bridges to complement our well-known obsession with personal narrative
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Midwest Cultural Envy from a Californian
I arrive in the Quad Cities, towns with traces of their industrial history on every street, still full of life, rusty perhaps but not abandoned.
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Seriously, What Have We Learned?
An excerpt from an academic journal in which I attempt to analyze it all
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You Won’t Believe what they found when they opened my outboard engine
Though stuck in this small town made famous by the American Pickers, there were interviews, adventures, and surprises.
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Facing a New Day of Bad News
In which we discover that things don’t look good, though — since we have a good imagination — we can see that they could always be worse.
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“How do you pay for this?”
If you have a little bit to spare, and thing the project is worth supporting, I’d encourage you to contribute what you can afford.