Sacramento River
Reports from the Sacramento River Expeditions
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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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Small Boats: River People – Shantyboat on the Sacramento River
Wes Modes spent two years building a shantyboat using salvaged materials and in 2014 he began voyaging Americaβs rivers. He takes us along on his voyage down Californiaβs Sacramento river.
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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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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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Interview with Janet Bennett at the Dutra Museum of Dredging
Interview with Janet Bennett at the Dutra Museum of Dredging in Rio Vista. Everything you ever wanted to know about dredging and more
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Interview with Daniela Sartori in Red Bluff about living on the river
Interview with Daniela Sartori in Red Bluff about living on the river, gentrification, education in rural communities, and the fear that your two-year old will be swept away by the Sacramento River
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Large wreck under stormy skies on Sevenmile Slough as we drive out of the delta towing the shantyboat
Large wreck under stormy skies on Sevenmile Slough as we drive out of the delta towing the shantyboat
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Playing cards on the Davis to Sacramento train
Playing cards on the Davis to Sacramento train. We had to drive from Sac to Davis to catch an unnecessary train because Amtrak wouldn’t sell us a bus ticket from Sac to Red Bluff without a train segment on our ticket. It was still cheaper and faster than Greyhound
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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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Adorable old houseboats anchored in Little Potato Slough
Adorable old houseboats anchored in Little Potato Slough
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Kim Korth talked about the history of Korth’s Pirate’s Lair Marina and growing up on the Delta
Kim Korth talked about the history of Korth’s Pirate’s Lair Marina and growing up on the Delta
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The Fraser Bros were the local butchers, and they would deliver meat to the various ranches
A delta shop boat. “The Fraser Bros were the local butchers, and they would deliver meat to the various ranches up and down the river, by way [of] this vessel.” Photo at the Rio Vista History Museum
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Old photos of shantyboats at Wood Island at the Rio Vista Museum
Old photos of shantyboats at Wood Island at the Rio Vista Museum
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Tim Anderson, boatbuilder, maker, and heirloom technologist at his DeltaFarm
Tim Anderson, boatbuilder, maker, and heirloom technologist at his DeltaFarm, an organic farm and DIY tech experiment along the San Joaquin River
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Campfire at Tim Anderson’s DeltaFarm at the confluence of the Mokelumne and San Joaquin Rivers
Campfire at Tim Anderson’s DeltaFarm at the confluence of the Mokelumne and San Joaquin Rivers
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Why is it that people who own big expensive yachts are loud as fuck?
Why is it that some people who own big expensive new yachts are loud as fuck and don’t seem to care who hears them whether it be a drunken 1am or a caffeinated 8am? To be clear they are friendly (to us at least) but also willing to shout questions at us from across the…
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The peaceful and rustic back channel behind Snug Harbor
The peaceful and rustic back channel behind Snug Harbor off Steamboat Slough where there are a few folks living year-round on houseboats
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One of a surprising number of visible wrecks in the Sacramento Delta
One of a surprising number of visible wrecks in the Sacramento Delta
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Interview with Russell Ooms about his sinuous journey to Locke
Interview with Russell Ooms about his sinuous journey to Locke, 70s hippies, skinny dipping in the Slough, woodworking, anarchy, Chinese and Dutch values, and neighborhood conflicts
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Interview with photographer, author, and historian James Motlow
Interview with photographer, author, and historian James Motlow about the traditionally Chinese community of Locke and his 45 year history there
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Talked to Can, a Vietnamese electronics designer, who owns Bob’s
Talked to Can, a Vietnamese electronics designer, who owns Bob’s who told me the bait shop grew out of his love for delta fishing
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Iva at Mei Wah taproom where we are chillin drunk AF on a Thursday evening
Iva at Mei Wah taproom where we are chillin drunk AF on a Thursday evening
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Lucious lucious pears on pancakes for shantyboat breakfast
Lucious lucious pears on pancakes for shantyboat breakfast
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The mostly girl crew of the Sea Scout vessel Compass Rose who gave us a tour of the 60+ foot formal Naval ship
The mostly girl crew of the Sea Scout vessel Compass Rose who gave us a tour of the 60+ foot formal Naval ship
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Interviewing Mark Miller at Railroad Cut Slough
Interviewing Mark Miller at Railroad Cut Slough behind Locke. We talked about old Sac and delta river culture, paddling, and restoring old windows
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Bank on Locke Slough upon which a whole community of Russians living in shanties
Bank on Locke Slough upon which a whole community of Russians living in shanties until the early 2000s
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Community garden in the historic little town of Locke
Community garden in the historic little town of Locke
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Mark Miller who has already helped us in a number of ways, meets us in Walnut Grove to repair a window or two
Mark Miller who has already helped us in a number of ways, meets us in Walnut Grove to repair a window or two
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Put a huge branch through a window trying to land in Courtland. Fuck Courtland and their lack of visitor docks
Put a huge branch through a window trying to land in Courtland. Fuck Courtland and their lack of visitor docks
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In Courtland, they tell us, they have an annual Pear Festival
In Courtland, they tell us, they have an annual Pear Festival
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Attempting to thread our way through the delta sloughs piloting and navigating
Attempting to thread our way through the delta sloughs piloting and navigating
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Night out in the sloughs, the network of labyrinthian waterways in the Delta
Night out in the sloughs, the network of labyrinthian waterways in the Delta
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Interview with Andrew McLeod, historian and tour guide
3rd interview of the morning with Andrew McLeod, historian and tour guide, who told me about Sacramento topography, land use, native and early settlement history, class and racial politics, collective organization, revolutionary conflicts, and the future of the city in the inevitable flooding to come
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Interview with Kathy Brunetti about her decades of experience working on agriculture and water quality issues
Interview with Kathy Brunetti. We talked about her decades of experience working on agriculture and water quality on the Sacramento River
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Interview with Nancy about her time living aboard a shantyboat on the Sacramento River
Interview with Nancy about her time living aboard a shantyboat on the Sacramento River
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Bar camping out for 25 years, currently along the American River serves as a mentor to younger folk and describes himself as an “honest hustler
Bar camping out for 25 years, currently along the American River serves as a mentor to younger folk and describes himself as an “honest hustler
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Maddy and friends show up on a scavenger hunt from the History Museum
Maddy and friends show up on a scavenger hunt from the History Museum
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Clyde searches for treasures that had washed out of the riverbanks
Clyde was motor about in a tiny boat with his girlfriend to beaches on the Sac and American Rivers finding treasures that had washed out of the riverbanks. Old bottles, coins and brass buttons
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The mysterious Party Yacht Wall on the American River
The mysterious Party Yacht Wall on the American River
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Fanny Ann’s Saloon in Old Town Sac, 5 stories of layered history and Californiana kitsch
Fanny Ann’s Saloon in Old Town Sac, 5 stories of layered history and Californiana kitsch
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Shantyboat encounters the cutest thing in the whole world
Shantyboat encounters the cutest thing in the whole world
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Interview with Keith Turley, owner of Stingrayz Bar & Marina along the banks of the Sacramento River in Knights Landing
Interview with Keith Turley, owner of Stingrayz Bar & Marina along the banks of the Sacramento River in Knights Landing
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Shantyboat in the big city or pretty damn close. Chillin at Swabbies where pirate paraphernalia dominates
Shantyboat in the big city or pretty damn close. Chillin at Swabbies where pirate paraphernalia dominates
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Down past the confluence with the Feather River approaching Sac, the river broadens out into the big river we are used to from our adventures on the Mississippi and Tennessee
Down past the confluence with the Feather River approaching Sac, the river broadens out into the big river we are used to from our adventures on the Mississippi and Tennessee
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Shantyboat on the wide Sacramento. Photo by Mike Garofalo
Shantyboat on the wide Sacramento. Photo by Mike Garofalo
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Benzy’s drawing of the shantyboat docked at Stingrayz in Knight’s Landing
Benzy’s drawing of the shantyboat docked at Stingrayz in Knight’s Landing
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Knight Landing Drawbridge under which we are docked that creaks and rumbles as cars pass all night long
Knight Landing Drawbridge under which we are docked that creaks and rumbles as cars pass all night long
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Closest Thing to Civilization Between Red Bluff and Sac
Weβd 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 Iβd 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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“And, it should be added, many of the shanty-boat types were rascals who could turn with complete ease to chicken stealing, to selling patent medicine, to being fourth-rate actors, or even pretending to be preachers if it appeared that’s fire-and-brimstone sermon might bring in a nice collection.” From Steamboats on the Mississippi
“And, it should be added, many of the shanty-boat types were rascals who could turn with complete ease to chicken stealing, to selling patent medicine, to being fourth-rate actors, or even pretending to be preachers if it appeared that’s fire-and-brimstone sermon might bring in a nice collection.” From Steamboats on the Mississippi
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Huge catfish dinner thanks to Benzy’s newly acquired mad fishing skills
Huge catfish dinner thanks to Benzy’s newly acquired mad fishing skills
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I’m getting the band back together. River hobos on the town
I’m getting the band back together. River hobos on the town
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The hot dry dusty town of Grimes reminds me of where I grew up with my grandparents
The hot dry dusty town of Grimes reminds me of where I grew up with my grandparents
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Hazel builds a little chuppah in the heat of the day
Hazel builds a little chuppah in the heat of the day
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Jeremiah spends the morning working a particularly tricky knot
Jeremiah spends the morning working a particularly tricky knot
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We love that people frequently bring us homegrown veggies. Who brought us the peck of pickled peppers?
We love that people frequently bring us homegrown veggies. Who brought us the peck of pickled peppers?
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Ships mate Jeremiah Daniels on his birthday, member of shantyboat crew on every expedition since 2014
Ships mate Jeremiah Daniels on his birthday, member of shantyboat crew on every expedition since 2014
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“County’s heritage from the ante-bellum South and states-rights sympathies”
“County’s heritage from the ante-bellum South and states-rights sympathies” is a bit of an understatement. In fact, Colusa County, a mostly rural Southern Democrat county, voted for California to secede from the Union. When Lincoln was assassinated many in the county celebrated, resulting in the arrests of the most adamant revelers by Union soldiers. While…
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Anthurium in the shantyboat. These civilizing touches are an important part of our wild journey
Anthurium in the shantyboat. These civilizing touches are an important part of our wild journey
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Association of Shantyboaters certification and various photos on the shantyboat
Association of Shantyboaters certification and various photos on the shantyboat
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Radio shelf, engine gauges, and tobacco shelf from top to bottom on the shantyboat
Radio shelf, engine gauges, and tobacco shelf from top to bottom on the shantyboat
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Behind the wheel of an early 80s Ford pickup to breakfast in Colusa thanks to Mike
Behind the wheel of an early 80s Ford pickup to breakfast in Colusa thanks to Mike
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ABC10 out of Sacramento has us do stupid human boating tricks for an extensive report about the Secret History project
ABC10 out of Sacramento has us do stupid human boating tricks for an extensive report about the Secret History project
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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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Benzy’s patches to our meece-eaten screens probably saved us
Benzy’s patches to our meece-eaten screens probably saved us from getting eaten alive by bloodsucking carnivores in the night
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Happy and exhausted after an amazing day shantyboating with great friends
Happy and exhausted after an amazing day shantyboating with great friends
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After a morning dodging snags and gravel beds through a series of hazardous and scary ordeals…
After a morning dodging snags and gravel beds through a series of hazardous and scary ordeals, we deserve a moment of quiet drifting, fishing, and lunch buffet
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Breakfast birthday blackberry shantyboat pie! Yes, we have an oven
Breakfast birthday blackberry shantyboat pie! Yes, we have an oven
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Joe Lorenzo known around here as just Riverrat owns the boat that partly inspired the Secret History shantyboat
Joe Lorenzo known around here as just Riverrat owns the boat that partly inspired the Secret History shantyboat when we saw it ten years ago https://flic.kr/p/sLPi2F
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Al brings us fresh vegetables from his garden as we interview his friend Mike
Al brings us fresh vegetables from his garden as we interview his friend Mike
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Mike Frawley retired contractor in Princeton tells us about idyllic life in a tiny town of 400
Mike Frawley retired contractor in Princeton tells us about idyllic life in a tiny town of 400
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Cocktail hour after a great interview with Caged Heat and Dr Thunder’s hella Peachy Fire Whiskey. Great day
Cocktail hour after a great interview with Caged Heat and Dr Thunder’s hella Peachy Fire Whiskey. Great day
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A tailgate ride from a stranger down America’s dustiest road
A tailgate ride from a stranger down America’s dustiest road
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A moment of blissful relaxation between moments of terror
A moment of blissful relaxation between moments of terror
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Spoiler alert: We are still alive. Just went through the sketchiest bit of boating I’ve done in a ten year career of sketchy boating
Spoiler alert: We are still alive. Just went through the sketchiest bit of boating I’ve done in a ten year career of sketchy boating
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Cocktail hour refuge from the sun in the shadow of the shantyboat. JG Ballard’s The Drowned World
Cocktail hour refuge from the sun in the shadow of the shantyboat. JG Ballard’s The Drowned World
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“Yeah, we did see some gravel beds. How did you know?
“Yeah, we did see some gravel beds. How did you know?
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Anchor line set disappearing into the green depths while we fish from the stern
Anchor line set disappearing into the green depths while we fish from the stern
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Our Official Engine Provider Mercury Marine’s next new ad photo
Our Official Engine Provider Mercury Marine’s next new ad photo