Video
Stories told in moving images—glimpses of the people, places, and waterways that shape this ongoing journey.
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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…
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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.
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Cleaning Tasks
What wonders to behold in our cabinet of curiosities?. . . Answer: Mostly rusty cans, cheap beer, and rat poop. Now empty shelves and a daunting cleaning task.
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Delta Films, Second Line, and Squirrel Gumbo
Once a week we gather at Secret History HQ for the Delta Film Series—a deep dive into the culture, history, and tangled realities of the Louisiana Delta. These films aren’t just movies; they’re waypoints on the journey ahead. This week, we enjoyed a doc about young musicians finding resilience and rhythm in the streets of…
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Props to Me
What did global capitalism bring me today? Something that gets us one step closer to the river. Over the years, we’ve left a few propellers behind—Sacramento River shallows, low driveways, maybe some questionable navigation choices. This time, we’re thinking ahead. No more scrambling for replacements in tiny marina shops. Now we’ve got a backup Mercury…
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Getting Straight With the State
It’s a special day to honor the sacred pact between punk hobo shantyboat river rats and the State of California. After five years of nautical delinquency… the moment has arrived. 🎟️🚣♂️ Stick around to witness history.
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Tires are Expensive
While the attention is on Shantyboat Dotty, it wouldn’t get too far without my big pick-em-up truck to get it where it needs to go. And you know what matters when the rubber hits the road? Tires. Just one of many unexpected expenses of the Secret history project.
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Big News: Summer Fieldwork
Big news: Shantyboat Dotty is heading to the bayous of Southern Louisiana this summer! The Atchafalaya River, Cajun and Creole culture, cypress swamps, delta blues, and jambalaya are calling. There’s so much to prep—fundraising, reconnecting with folks in the Delta, and getting Dotty river-ready—but we’re excited to bring these stories to life. Stay tuned for…
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It’s Christmas in Shantyboat Town
Midwest thunderstorm and hail weather catches up to us in the Pacific Coast mountains on Christmas Day.
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Summer Work Day
Shantyboat maintenance/repairs before a late summer outing. Replacing rub rail and some sizable dings in the hull.
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Crossing the Great Salt Flats in a storm
Crossing the salt flats this morning. #SaltFlats #RoadTrip #Utah
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It was humbling to watch the expert at work
It was humbling to watch the expert at work. The Belle of Louisville’s keyboardist channels Leonard Cohen on the only surviving brass calliope keyboard aboard a steamboat. #OhioRiver #Steamboat #Calliope #BelleOfLouisville #Hallelujah #LeonardCohen #Louisville
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Aboard the Belle of Louisville as guests of the ship’s engineering crew
Aboard the Belle of Louisville as guests of the ship’s engineering crew. The Belle is one of the very last authentic steam powered sternwheelers. #Steamboat #OhioRiver #Sternwheeler #Louisville
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The charming and colorful George Hausser
I interviewed the charming and colorful George Hausser while we were in Marietta, Ohio. What does a 14-year-old shantyboat kid say to a townie kid who attempts to bum a cigarette? #Interview #OhioRiver #Marietta #BummedCigarette #BallSweat
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Apparently it rains in Southern Ohio
Apparently it rains in Southern Ohio. 10 minutes later it was sunny and we were drying out #rainstorm #shantyboat #ohioriver #southernohio #rain
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Shantyboat supermarket run in stolen golf cart
Shantyboat supermarket run in stolen golf cart. #OhioRiver #Portsmouth #AwesomeMarina #BorrowedGolfCart #Shantyboat
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When the captain’s away, the mice will play
Here is what happens on the shantyboat when the captain is away. Sunday shantyboat cleaning! #Shantyboat #SundayCleaning #TimeLapse
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Swimming in a rain shower at the confluence of Sandy Creek and the Ohio
Swimming in a rain shower at the confluence of Sandy Creek and the Ohio at Ravenswood #shantyboat #swimming #rainshower #thunderstorm #ohioriver
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Pop-up exhibition of the Secret History project at Marietta’s First Friday
Open house and pop-up exhibition of the Secret History project during Marietta’s First Friday. #OpenHouse #Exhibition #Shantyboat #OhioRiver #Marietta
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The Valley Gem makes way up the Muskingum River at the Marietta waterfront
The Valley Gem makes way up the Muskingum River at the Marietta waterfront #Sternwheeler #MuskingumRiver #OhioRiver #shantyboat #excursion
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A shantyboat trip down the Ohio
A video created by Post-Gazette staff photographer Andrew Rush.
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Shantyboat anchored in our secret little hidey hole
Shantyboat anchored in our secret little hidey hole. #shantyboat #fishingspot #anchoredout
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Montgomery Locks on the Ohio River
Montgomery Locks on the Ohio River #shantyboat #lockanddam #locks #ohioriver #pa #pennsylvania
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As everyone knows, when you drive under a train, it’s good luck.
As everyone knows, when you drive under a train, it’s good luck. Doubly so if you do it on a boat. #goodluck #shantyboat #sailorsuperstitions
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Hazel at the bow of Evan’s boat on the Allegheny
Hazel at the bow of Evan’s boat on the Allegheny. This is an important step for her. You know it’s only over the last couple years that Hazel became at all comfortable with boats. #cattledogsofinstagram #allegheny
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Middle of the night truckstop shantyboat repair
Middle of the night truckstop epoxy work to repair the damaged hull of the shantyboat. #epoxy #boatrepair #shantyboat #roadtrip
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Shantyboat Drydock
In early June, we took the shantyboat to the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard to do some work on the hull. This requires us to launch the boat in the harbor, motor to the boat lift, and get pulled out. We spent a long long weekend repairing dings in the hull, replacing the skeg elbows, painting…
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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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Michael Swett – Just One Thing at a Time
This is an excerpt of my interview with Michael Swett. Michael talked to us about the homeless encampment along the banks of the river.
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Vrinda Quintero – To Me the River Is
Excerpt of interview with Vrinda Quintero about growing up in Venezuela and living along the banks of the San Lorenzo River.
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Roland Law’s Wildest Dream for the San Lorenzo River
Roland Law talks about his conservation work along the banks of the San Lorenzo River
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George Ow Jr Tells Us About Chinatowns along the San Lorenzo River
An interview with George Ow Jr. along the banks of the San Lorenzo River where we talked about his growing up in one of the last Chinatowns along the river.
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Interview with Leo Cruz along the San Lorenzo River
Interview with Leo Cruz about growing up near a river in Mexico and coming to live along the San Lorenzo River.
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Interview with Greg Pepping about San Lorenzo River
We interviewed Greg Pepping and talked about the community’s relationship with the San Lorenzo River as part of the Ebb & Flow Festival coming up on June 7th. #ebbandflow #sanlorenzoriver #secrethistory #interview
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Interview with shipmate Benzy
SL Benz has been a shipmate on the Secret History expeditions on the Tennessee, Sacramento, and Hudson Rivers since 2016, and soon, the Ohio River. She is a California-based new media artist. I interviewed Benzy about her duties as shipmate and production assistant while we were on the Sacramento River.
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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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Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 Ohio River Valley Documentary
Enjoy this charming (and educational) 1941 documentary covers the process of producing wooden flatboats for use on the Ohio River
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Ohio River: Young Man River 1965 US Army Corps of Engineers
An amazing mid-century educational film by the US Army Corps of Engineers
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A push to remove the homeless from the American River
To follow up on our visit to the American River on our 2017 summer fieldwork, you may remember that we interviewed Bar who lived along the river. While we were in Sacramento, we explored the American River north of town. One evening, we camped near a fellow in a neat temp compound a short walk…
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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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Rediscovering our secret cache of Dr Thunder’s Peachy Fire Whiskey during a shantyboat workday. #shantyboat #secrethistory #firewhiskey
Rediscovering our secret cache of Dr Thunder’s Peachy Fire Whiskey during a shantyboat workday. #shantyboat #secrethistory #firewhiskey
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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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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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River Voices – 2017 Trailer
After 3 years of fieldwork, 1000 river miles, 15,000 road miles, 85 interviews, and now 1 month of combing the archive, and innumerable editing hours, we are extremely excited to present the new trailer.
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Draining the water tanks to revamp the water system. #secrethistory
Draining the water tanks to revamp the water system. #secrethistory #shantyboat via Instagram http://ift.tt/2rHlWCd
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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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Gerty Tonjum, boathouse owner, talks about river time
Gerty Tonjum, boathouse owner in Winona, MN along the banks of the Mississippi River summer 2014. This is part of a longer interview in the Secret History archive.
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Secret History shantyboat clean-up day and mouse habitat exploration
Secret History shantyboat clean-up day and mouse habitat exploration
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![Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River [VIDEO & PANORAMA]](https://peoplesriverhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/shantyboat-stormy-skies-edit.jpg)
Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River [VIDEO & PANORAMA]
Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River near the confluence of the Duck River with Adrian fishing from the bow
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Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads
An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads. Age and I escape in the Marina loaner beater car
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Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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We thought we might fit under the train bridge at Decatur AL
Train bridge Decatur AL. We thought at first we might fit under. Not so much
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Cocktail hour! Next on the Shantyboat Guys!
Cocktail hour! Next on the Shantyboat Guys with @dudicusmaximus
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WAFF Huntsville: Shanty floating down the TN seeking hidden histories of river people
Get close enough to the Tennessee river, you can hear it’s story. But you can only learn so much, standing on the shore. If you’ve been on the banks the past week in North Alabama, you may have noticed a tiny shack floating down the river. No matter what you may think about the odd…
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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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Just your usual sunny day fishing rainstorm experience
Just your usual sunny day fishing rainstorm experience
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Knoxville News Sentinel: California artist launches 652-mile Tennessee River trip from Volunteer Landing
Docked at Volunteer Landing at Knoxville’s downtown waterfront this week is a 20-foot “shantyboat” that looks all the world like a backwoods cabin perched atop a barge.
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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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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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Karen Galema, Mississippi River fisherman
Karen Galema in her life has been a fisherman, an EMT, a bookkeeper for the large fish market in Lansing, and finally the manager of the Lansing River History and Commercial Fishing museum. This is an excerpt from our interview in Lansing, Iowa along the banks of the Mississippi River.
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Two Great Interviews in the Twin Cities
All and all, it was an amazing and emotionally exhausting day that came closer to my desire to highlight contested history, resistance, histories that didn’t make the establishment narrative, and stories about women, people of color, and non-dominant cultures.
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Artist On Art: Wes Modes, Artist Interview
Artist Activist, Wes Modes came onto Artists on Art, June 18, 2014, to talk about his newest project, The Secret History of American River People, a slow meandering trip down the Mississippi in a shanty boat collecting stories. Using audio, video, and digital media, Secret History archives and presents oral histories of major American rivers,…
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Secret History Summer 2015 Kickstarter
We are excited to announce the Secret History Upper Mississippi Expedition Kickstarter! Thanks to your support, last summer we traveled across country with the Shantyboat to the Mississippi River and spent a month gathering stories of river people. We interviewed dozens of folks, adventures, scientists, storytellers, river rats, boathouse people. Then we came back and…
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Maiden Launch (vintage remix)
The shantyboat Dotty’s maiden launch. Dropping a completely untested boat into one of the largest rivers on the continent.
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Life On the River – 2015 Trailer
The amazing Secret History River Life trailer by filmmaker Monica Yap.
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Jessica Bierbrauer and Lost History
Jessica Bierbrauer, director of the Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center in Prescott WI, talks about personal stories that are lost or buried.
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Ice Fishing Shack on Lake Winona
One of my goals in returning to the Upper Mississippi was to talk to people using the river in its frozen state. I’d been hearing stories of ice fishermen for years on Prairie Home Companion, but had never seen or experienced it.
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La Crosse Boathouses
Down in La Crosse for the day, I hung out for a bit where boathouses line both banks along the partially frozen Black River.
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Ice on Frog Slough
The other day I had just finished talking to the great people at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum which boasts an amazing collection of art by European masters and contemporary artists. I had a moment or two before my next interview so I went down to the river where the boathouses on Frog Pond had…
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Experiments with Multimedia
The production team and I are working on cutting various transitions between segments in the Secret History Web Documentary. Here is a sweet river moment I wanted to share. It makes a nice soothing backdrop for a nap.
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Shantyboat at FIGMENT Oakland
A Secret History exhibited at FIGMENT in Oakland, a one day art festival that brings Burning Man values of creative expression, gift economy, and participation to our urban environment.
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Lauren Donovan and the Creepy Guy
Lauren Donovan, who kayaked the length of the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to New Orleans, talks about an unexpected meeting while camping along the river.
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Sunset on the Sacramento Delta
A relaxing evening at sunset from a recent trip on the shantyboat on the Sacramento River.
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Ken Lubinski on the Resilience of Nature
Ken Lubinski, river ecologist at the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse talks about a winter walk and the resilience of nature.
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Lauren Donovan on Nearly Drowning at Lock 11
Lauren Donovan, who kayaked the length of the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to New Orleans, talks about nearly drowning in Lock 11 near Dubuque, Iowa.
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Peter Rachleff on the Creativity of Poor People
Peter Rachleff, Professor of History, talks about how poor people in the Twin Cities have historically used the sawn ends and off cuts from the sawmills to build shanties.
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Shantyboat Runabout
Today we powered up Mr. Johnson and motored about in the tiny Boom Island marina we have been moored at since we launched. Hazel and I crossed under the pedestrian bridge and out into the wider river.
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We Turn To The River – 2014 Trailer
The Secret History lyrical trailer from the talented Lauren Kincaid-Filbey with footage from the Sacramento River Delta.