As I read on I earned that there were all kinds of people making flatboats and Zadok in each issue of The Navigator let people know which boat makers ones were reputable--sort of an early consumer reports. There were no inspections or regulations then.
Also, if people wanted to return, they had to walk or take a horse cart and of course the roads were minimal.
The original customer rating! I'm working on a project called 'Gongoozler' set in a flooded future so this has been really useful.
'Borrowed from the old world, the term Gongoozler is used to describe those with an interest in the comings and goings of canals, but don’t actively participate. Our future Gongoozlers owe their name to this passive quality. They act as watchmen of the waterways. Just like navigational signs and symbols of our present-day canals – these custodians have developed their own visual language to communicate their findings downstream. Their messages conveying the health of these fluid networks to its inhabitants.'
I read a book many years ago and the premise as the author was trying to go all over the US by boat— in canals, on rivers and so on, and he told a lot of history on the way, and about how boats were a lot more important in the pre-highway era. It was pretty cool. Wish I remembered the name of the book!
Once in a while a young person will comment on why roads don't go where they want them to go and I say, well, you have to get over the river and they can't build a bridge at every street and they will say, "what river?" There is a quirky little TV series about a guy traveling England by narrowboat and I had never realized what a barge system they have. https://www.amazon.com/Travels-by-Narrowboat/dp/B07NXQG5HB
Yes, he had a motor. The original flatboaters just floated with the current. They'd use poles if they got caught in debris but mostly floated. Then all the boats were dismantled for houses as they could go not back up the river. It's a really interesting story about how so many people migrated on flatboats.
I really enjoyed this article. The maps are beautiful.
As I read on I earned that there were all kinds of people making flatboats and Zadok in each issue of The Navigator let people know which boat makers ones were reputable--sort of an early consumer reports. There were no inspections or regulations then.
Also, if people wanted to return, they had to walk or take a horse cart and of course the roads were minimal.
The original customer rating! I'm working on a project called 'Gongoozler' set in a flooded future so this has been really useful.
'Borrowed from the old world, the term Gongoozler is used to describe those with an interest in the comings and goings of canals, but don’t actively participate. Our future Gongoozlers owe their name to this passive quality. They act as watchmen of the waterways. Just like navigational signs and symbols of our present-day canals – these custodians have developed their own visual language to communicate their findings downstream. Their messages conveying the health of these fluid networks to its inhabitants.'
The past of navigation is endlessly fascinating and the future w/o GPS it would become a valuable skill again--almost magic.
You would like this book:
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Paperback – Illustrated, November 5, 2007
by Dava Sobel
Do you have any other esoteric substack pages you could recommend?
Have you looked at the Encyclopedia of Music Genres? He sends 2 a day plus a link to a sample.
https://georgemeberhart.substack.com/
I read a book many years ago and the premise as the author was trying to go all over the US by boat— in canals, on rivers and so on, and he told a lot of history on the way, and about how boats were a lot more important in the pre-highway era. It was pretty cool. Wish I remembered the name of the book!
Once in a while a young person will comment on why roads don't go where they want them to go and I say, well, you have to get over the river and they can't build a bridge at every street and they will say, "what river?" There is a quirky little TV series about a guy traveling England by narrowboat and I had never realized what a barge system they have. https://www.amazon.com/Travels-by-Narrowboat/dp/B07NXQG5HB
Lol at “what river?” Thanks for the link!
Great. Thanks. He didn't row it, bet he had a motor? I'm getting the book. Check out "The Starship and the Canoe" sometime.
Yes, he had a motor. The original flatboaters just floated with the current. They'd use poles if they got caught in debris but mostly floated. Then all the boats were dismantled for houses as they could go not back up the river. It's a really interesting story about how so many people migrated on flatboats.
thanks for the rec!
Great. Thanks.