PIONEER OHIO RIVER FLATBOAT

Flatboats were used by our ancestor pioneers to travel down the Ohio River to get to new settlements. There was an enclosure built on part of the boat for protection from the weather. These flatboats could only go in one direction - down river. They had no way of propelling them up river.

A group of men could construct a flatboat in about 30 days. Jim Huffman states that his 'P.V.' ancestors built many of these boats in Virginia. Many times the pioneers secured or built their flat boat at the 'Wilderness Road Fort'.

The boats had to be built very sturdy and large enough for women, children, food, bedding and all the household items as well as a milk cow, chickens, horses, dogs and farming tools - virtually all of the family belongings. Sometimes babies were born on the flatboats as they made their way down river. Many times families traveled together.

The pioneers had to always be prepared for the frequent Indian attacks along the river. While the men fought off the Indians, the women steered the boats.

Flatboats were also used to ship goods and crops down the river to be sold.