Looking to see if anyone might know or have any more info on the story that might be behind this. As you all know the mighty red is far from mighty right now but I still decided to take my boat down to check things out. Came across what looked to be an old sunken boat of some sort. Brought it up to my dad and he said that his grandparents (Bud and Jean Feick) had said that it was an old steamboat that used to run from Forks to Winnipeg in the late 1800s but had gotten hung up and then just left in the river. They had also said that long ago you were able to see one of the masts sticking out of the water once the red would get lower. It sits about 3½ miles south of Pembina. Obviously most is completely covered with mud and/or missing but you can see about 30ft worth of deck right now. These boards are way bigger than they look in the pictures...
There was much excitement in the group in reaction to the post. Over 70 comments exploded the discussion:
Paul Maloney: What do the nails look like, if any survived? And I think remnants of the boiler would still be there if it was a steamboat.
Jake Cosley: All the main nails used to hold the planks down are ¼x¼" square. There were a few large ½-⅝" round spikes used as well
Julie Lindegard: I will ask my dad Bob Cameron if he has any further info. Dad recalled hearing that Humboldt kids (St. Vincent kids were too far away) would often swim in the river and get on the boat and jump off. I can imagine it provided hours of entertainment for kids! He said that the Bockwitz family found and retrieved the anchor. They contacted my dad to take it to the museum in Lake Bronson at least 30 years ago. That's where it is now.
At Right: Evidence of scorched and burned decking could still be seen, over 140 years later...
Hetty Walker: Chuck always talked about the steamboat, that got hung up …that could be it
Janine Rustad: Talk to DeeDee Bakken---she used to say her dad knew exactly where it sunk
Julie Lindegard: Yes dad mentioned it was near/in the area of the Giffen farm.
Donald Burroughs: Does North Dakota have a historical society? Would be an opportunity to salvage some of the boat, those nails and boiler parts, paddle wheel hardware plus its coordinates to build a story around it.
Trish Short Lewis: They have already been contacted about this. State Historical Society of North Dakota's chief archaeologist, Andrew Clark.
Brandon Lee Legvold: Three (3) miles above Pembina it says which in Red River terms would be south of town so I would definitely say that is the hull of the Dakota that was found.
Trish Short Lewis: Since it’s only partially burned and witnesses say the ship burned, I think the idea of these being one of the two barges might be right. I reserve final judgment until we hear from DeeDee Bakken (hopefully) on what she recalls her father seeing…
[Note from Trish: I later spoke with DeeDee and got some very interesting information from her! Also, the pump in the photo at left, was found by her, and then taken and donated to the Kittson County History Center & Museum, where it is today, along with the Anchor found many years ago by Humboldt's Bockwitz family...]Brandon Lee Legvold: [The source of the quoted newspaper article, which is pictured above, is...] the Worthington (Minnesota) Advance. August 19, 1880. Which oddly enough is today. I found this on Chronicling America.
Trish Short Lewis: Full reference citation for article is The Worthington Advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, August 19, 1880, Image 1 Image provided by Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN (Chronicling America)
Jim Benjaminson: Preservation of the site is paramount.
It was pretty exciting to be at the site of a 140 year old wreck! It became more and more apparent - between the onsite examination of the wood, old hardware, and what could be ascertained on the construction - that this was remnants of one or both of the barges that the Dakota had been towing full of freight, and that the ship was likely down the river a ways on the Minnesota side near the old Giffen farm. All the pieces fit, however - this had to be the wreck of the Dakota, it was the only thing that made sense from the evidence so far.
That said, a proper survey and investigation needs to be done. And to that end, I contacted the State Historical Society of North Dakota's chief archaeologist, Andrew Clark. Andrew was intrigued about the find, and expressed a desire to come in-person to evaluate the wreck. However, as always, there is red tape. Funding, authorizations needed, etc. I had several conversations with him about what I saw, and he explained that at the very least, the location of the wreck needed to be updated. There was erroneous information in some records that needed correction. After my site visit, I was able to give him GPS coordinates of the wreck to update any official records out there. I also notified the Minnesota Historical Society about the wreck's connection to Minnesota (the steamboat itself was likely within Minnesota jurisdiction).
It is my hope that next summer the SHSND can make an on-site visit to document this important vestige of our region's transportation history. Andrew Clark shared this about a similar discovery made on the Missouri River last year; it would be amazing if they could do the same depth of investigation with the Dakota - it is a fascinating slice of our local history, for sure!
Part of the Dakota steamboat barge wreck as revealed during
Summer 2021 low water on the Red River of the North . . .
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