Wes Modes
Shantyboat Dotty Fleeing Fires
During the California fires we had to flee our home…
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Remembering Betty Goins
Remembering Betty Goins who passed away yesterday. We had the…
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A presentation about Secret History
Want to support a newly launched series of virtual experiences…
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Running the Negros Out of Town
A look at American ethnic cleansing
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Shantyboat Dotty looking good in the early spring sunshine.
Shantyboat Dotty looking good in the early spring sunshine. #Shantyboat…
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The first step in working on a longer Secret History documentary
The first step in working on a longer Secret History…
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You Asked Me To Write A Book
Many of you have told me over the last six…
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Cabin Porn: Shantyboat
The Rivers of North America By Zach Klein, Freda MoonContributed…
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People join us aboard the Dotty at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire
People join us aboard the Dotty at the East Bay…
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Please join us at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire
Please join us at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire…
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Visiting one of our local waterways, Elkhorn Slough
Visiting one of our local waterways. Elkhorn Slough is a…
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That Was Weird: Rediscovering The River [AUDIO]
Join Archives & Collections Catalyst, Marla Novo, and Abbott Square…
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Atlas Obscura: An Artist, a Shantyboat, and the Lost History of American River Communities
Wes Modes is documenting life along America’s waterways. Atlas ObscuraBy…
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Boating: Wes Modes, Artist/Documentarian/ Shanty Boater
Armed with a homemade shanty boat and a video camera,…
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In Reno, the shantyboat was blocked in so we had to grab a handy forklift to extricate it
In Reno, the shantyboat was blocked in so we had…
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Louisville’s Schnitzelburg neighborhood at Check’s Cafe
Louisville’s Schnitzelburg neighborhood sitting at Check’s Cafe during Karaoke Night.…
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First Friday Santa Cruz: Secret History Project Tells Untold Stories of the San Lorenzo River
For local artist Wes Modes, this process of finding and…
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HeraldWeekly: The Lost History of American River Communities, Revisited by an Artist in a Shantyboat
HeraldWeeklyby Mark Villanueva Wes Modes is documenting life along America’s…
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Portsmouth Daily-Times: American River People
Portsmouth Daily-Timesby Ivy Potter Several artists have made their way…
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Home finally! After a month and a half on the Ohio River and days on the road it feels amazing to be back home
Home finally! After a month and a half on the…
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Now our boat hangs out in Reno with the burning man kids until the burn
Now our boat hangs out in Reno with the burning…
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Nevada Highways
Nevada Highways #nevada #roadtrip #tunnels #gointothelight
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Crossing the Great Salt Flats in a storm
Crossing the salt flats this morning. #SaltFlats #RoadTrip #Utah
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Road trip!
Road trip! #hwy80 #roadtrip #nevada #desert
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An undiscovered wildflower wilderness on Hwy 80
Stopped to make dinner at a turnout less than a…
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Feeling cute, might drive later
Rockin PetShop Boys, Ah Ha! And The Bangles as we…
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I love being back in the American West. Something about the way the cool morning air touches your skin
I love being back in the American West. Something about…
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Camping in rural Missouri
Camping at a random turn out in rural Missouri. Hot…
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Mississippi River, baby
Mississippi River, baby. #roadtrip #mississippiriver #stlouis
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We’re trying a new thing called Preventative Maintenance
We’re trying a new thing called Preventative Maintenance. Word is…
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Packing up
Packing up. The total accumulation of a six month exhibition…
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Breaking down the show at the Louisville’s Portland Museum
Breaking down the show at the Louisville’s Portland Museum. #artshow…
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Visitors explore the shantyboat at the Portland Museum
Visitors explore the shantyboat at the Portland Museum (@portlandmuseumky), thanks…
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Reflecting on the journey here at the end of it
Reflecting on the journey here at the end of it.…
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Beautiful day on the Ohio River in Louisville as we make our way up river to take out
Beautiful day on the Ohio River in Louisville as we…
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It was humbling to watch the expert at work [VIDEO]
It was humbling to watch the expert at work. The…
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Aboard the Belle of Louisville as guests of the ship’s engineering crew [VIDEO]
Aboard the Belle of Louisville as guests of the ship’s…
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The beer fairy came to visit us! Thanks, Louisville
The beer fairy came to visit us! Thanks, Louisville. #BeerFairy…
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We love art! Thanks to Piper who made art for our gallery
We love art! Thanks to Piper who made art for…
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More Edward Hopper scenes from around Louisville
More Edward Hopper scenes from around Louisville. #edwardhopper #ohioriver #louisville
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On a beautiful sunny morning this week after a day and night of thundershowers, I interviewed Paul Hassfurder
On a beautiful sunny morning this week after a day…
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Things afoot in Louisville while you are drinking your morning coffee
Things afoot in Louisville down by the river while you…
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Little-known facts about Louisville, Kentucky
Little-known facts: Louisville, Kentucky has more bridges than Hamburg, Germany…
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See you in Louisville at an artist talk and closing reception
See you in Louisville. Join us for an artist talk…
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We call it a Mitch McConnell or a Redneck Russian
We call it a Mitch McConnell or a Redneck Russian,…
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After the river was cleaned up areas that would be unthinkable real estate investments became desirable
After the river was cleaned up in the 1970s, areas…
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Interviewing Paul Hassfurder at Payne Hollow surrounded by butterflies
Interviewing Paul Hassfurder at Payne Hollow surrounded by butterflies. #ohioriver…
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Flowers from the lower garden at Payne Hollow
Flowers from the lower garden at Payne Hollow #flowers #ohioriver…
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Great to spend a few days with Paul Hassfurder who is carrying on Anna and Harlan Hubbard’s legacy at Payne Hollow
Great to spend a few days with Paul Hassfurder who…
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The charming streets of Madison, Indiana
The charming streets of Madison Indiana on an overcast morning.…
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We met the American Queen again near Madison, Indiana
We met the American Queen again near Madison, Indiana. This…
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Welcoming committee in Carrollton, Ky
Yesterday as we passed Carrollton, Ky. a crowd who’d been…
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Harlan Hubbard’s Studio and Prints
If you read Shantyboat, you know that Harlan Hubbard build…
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Good homes will be furnished these helpless children
While we were in new Richmond, Ohio, I interviewed Beth…
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People ask us all the time, “What do you eat?”
People ask us all the time, “What do you eat?”…
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A sad goodbye
Today we dropped Age at Aurora, Indiana where he headed…
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The green rolling lawns of Warsaw, Kentucky and an unexpected encounter
The green rolling lawns of Warsaw, Kentucky. As we came…
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Skipper Benzy going hard in rough water
Skipper Benzy going hard in rough water #ohioriver #roughwater
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Rising Sun, Indiana
A few things: I used to live in Indiana 25…
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On the shantyboat Dotty, even the captain swabs the deck
On the shantyboat Dotty, even the captain swabs the deck.…
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Hmm. Unexpected engine trouble strands us in a backwater
Hmm. Unexpected engine trouble strands us in a backwater. After…
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Ordinary scenes from shantyboat living
Ordinary scenes from shantyboat living: a bath in the river,…
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Shantyboat on the Great Miami
Shantyboat on the Great Miami River under a train bridge.…
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Cincinnati’s Roebling Bridge
If you noticed that it looks similar to the Brooklyn…
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Mystery ship slowly working its way beneath the waves
Mystery ship slowly working its way beneath the waves of…
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Again way to go, Cinci, direct access to the river
Again way to go, Cinci, providing direct access for folks…
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Bar One on a very very short tired bar crawl, O’Malley’s in the Alley
Bar One on a very very short tired bar crawl,…
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Way to use the riverside, Cinci
Way to use the riverside, Cinci. I wonder what was…
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Cincinnati downtown
Cincinnati downtown. #ModelRailroad #NScale #TiltShift #OhioRiver #Cincinnati
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Cincinnati’s purple people eater bridge, a former street car, pedestrian, and wagon bridge
Cincinnati’s purple people eater bridge, a former street car, pedestrian,…
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What’s up Cincinnati? We are in you
What’s up Cincinnati? We are in you. #OhioRiver #Shantyboat #Hooters…
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The Little Miami and the treasure it yields
The Little Miami and the treasure it yields. We imagine…
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Age on watch as we carefully explore the Little Miami River
Age on watch as we carefully explore the Little Miami…
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Age messing about in the jonboat while we are anchored
Age fooling around in the jonboat while we are anchored…
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Like an Edward Hopper painting in real life
Like an Edward Hopper painting in real life. #lifemirrorsartmirrorslife #edwardhopper…
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The entire crew of the shantyboat Dotty for a few hours
The entire crew of the shantyboat Dotty for a few…
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Benzy having a dude seriously with Squirlsey
Benzy having a dude seriously with Squirlsey, who she hasn’t…
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Join us for an open house in New Richmond, Ohio at Skipper‘s River Café
Today, we will be hosting an open house in New…
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What happens when you buy exotic vegetables in rural Ohio?
What happens when you buy exotic vegetables in rural Ohio?…
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Shipmate Benzy arrives in Cincinnati
Shipmate Benzy arrives in Cincinnati to join us in New…
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The Seven Wonders of Portsmouth
Post by honorary shipmate Andrew Feight Shanty Dotty on the…
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It’s noon somewhere. Jeremiah and I hit the river
It’s noon somewhere. Jeremiah and I hit the river in…
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Reading time from Harlan Hubbard’s Payne Hollow
Reading time from Harlan Hubbard’s Payne Hollow dangling my feet…
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Ghost sign in Augusta, Ky. What is Polarine anyway?
Ghost sign in Augusta, Ky. What is Polarine anyway? Our…
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Shantyboat Dotty arrives in Augusta, Kentucky
Shantyboat Dotty arrives in Augusta, Kentucky. #shantyboat #kentucky #ohioriver #augusta
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Scenes from around Ripley, Ohio
Scenes from around Ripley, Ohio The Beebe Chapel CME Church…
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Shipmate Jeremiah offers a sharp salute as he steps ashore
Shipmate Jeremiah offers a sharp salute as he steps ashore…
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Storm coming in at Ripley Boat Club
Storm coming in at Ripley Boat Club #storm #ohioriver #thunderstorm
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The sprawling discussion with Andrew Feight, professor of history at Shawnee State
I had a chance to interview Andrew Feight, professor of…
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The charming and colorful George Hausser
I interviewed the charming and colorful George Hausser while we…
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Squirlsey riding out rough seas on the Ohio River
Squirlsey riding out rough seas on the Ohio River. #squirrel…
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Jeremiah at the helm and the Kentucky hills in the distance
Jeremiah at the helm and the Kentucky hills in the…
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A reminder of what happens if you’re not ready for the river to drop
A reminder of what happens if you’re not ready when…
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We are underway again, and the river landscape has changed dramatically
After nearly a week in Portsmith, we are underway again,…
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A Pub Crawl in Portsmouth
So we went to Kroger to do a little supply…
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Every morning while we are on the river, we put…
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Further scenes from Portsmouth Ohio
Further scenes from Portsmouth Ohio #OhioRiver #SmallTown #Portsmouth #Walkabout
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Apparently it rains in Southern Ohio [VIDEO]
Apparently it rains in Southern Ohio. 10 minutes later it…
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Looking at Portsmouth history through flood wall murals
Amazing flood wall murals in Portsmouth by renowned Louisiana artist…
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Tuesday Farmers Market in Portsmouth
Tuesday Farmers Market in Portsmouth #farmersmarket #ohioriver #portsmouth
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