How You Can Help

We’re scrambling to get the trip together by July, including making research connections at organizations and universities near the river.

Outfitting the Shantyboat

Rooted in the DIY and art worlds, by any real world standards, the Secret History project has a humble budget.  However, we expect the project to require upwards of $10 thousand.

Still looming are the costs of transportation, supplies, gas, food, and paying the artists so they have a home to come back to. We raised over $5000 with our Kickstarter campaign; many thanks to our backers and supporters! These funds cover many of the basic travel expenses for our trip, helps pay for final outfitting of the shantyboat, and makes sure we have decent audio-video and digital equipment to record our interviews in the river communities we visit.

But we still need help. We’re still looking for specific supplies, and have a Secret History Wishlist stocked with everything up to and including a kitchen sink. This is your chance to vicariously float along with us! Each item off of our wishlist gets delivered to our door, and labelled with the name of the generous donor (that’s you!). Check out the Secret History Wishlist and see if there is anything that you would like to send us.

Connections in the Upper Mississippi Valley

I am particularly interested in people who have stories or research about working-class or displaced people living on or adjacent to the river in the upper Mississippi Valley. What critical resources or collections around shantyboat or bottomland communities do you know about?  Do you have more connections to people I should be working with?

Thanks for helping support the project.