Riverine Site Formation Process of Steamboat Wreck Sites in the Western United States

Author(s): Kristen Vogel

Year: 2013

Summary

Museum exhibits for both the artifact collections of both the steamboats Arabia and Bertrand liken the steamboat wrecks as time capsules, preserving moments frozen in time. For an archaeologist, it oversimplifies the nature of shipwrecks to regard them as a moments frozen in time. This study examines the dynamic riverine site formation process of steamboat wreck sites in the western United States, considering the cultural and environmental factors that impact such sites. The cultural and environmental changes that lead to a river changing course are of special consideration. Shifting rivers can leave a vessel under land instead of in the river. The impact that salvage operations--both contemporary and modern--have upon these sites will also be examined. 

Cite this Record

Riverine Site Formation Process of Steamboat Wreck Sites in the Western United States. Kristen Vogel. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, England, U.K. 2013 ( tDAR id: 428358)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 225