Fort Benton's keelboat getting new "old" look

By Steve Edwards

BCJ News

Early last June I stopped in Fort Benton for a walk along the Missouri River. From the Visitors' Center I was driving northeast on Front Street to look at the "Mandan," the old keelboat that sits on the river bank adjacent to the Lewis and Clark Memorial and the boat ramp. I could see the mast was gone from the keelboat. At the keelboat site a group of guys were lounging in the shade surrounded by tools and wood pieces. The fence around the Mandan was open on the river side. I could see some of the innards of the old boat as some planking had been removed from the sides at the waterline.

I walked over to the guys under the tree and asked, "What's going on here?" That was the first I'd heard the old keelboat was going under some major changes. I learned the boat was being refurbished and I started asking more questions. The group of local volunteer laborers were working with a retired Forest Service preservationist who was directing the multi-year task. Here's some of what I learned about the refurbishing project on the "Mandan," the last known keelboat remaining in the U.S.

A short history of the "Mandan"

This "Mandan" was one of three keelboats built in 1952 for a film by A.B. Guthrie titled "Big Sky." Guthrie was a well-known Montana author who wrote widely about the western frontier. Built at a cost in today's dollars of $330,000 each, one boat was kept in Hollywood for "onstage filming," the two others were dismantled and hauled to Moran, Wyoming where the onsite filming occurred. The keelboat now in Fort Benton was donated, after the film was produced, to Montana and ended up at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. One of the boats was equipped with two inboard diesel engines, to facilitate upstream travel, a winch with a small motor for pulling the boat by a cable attached on the shore and a small motorized fan for 'billowing' the sail. The engines were all removed immediately after filming.

In 1964 another filmmaker 'borrowed' the boat to make a documentary about keelboats. Moving the boat it was 'broken' and had to be stuffed with Styrofoam so it would float for filming. After the filming the boat was still on the river near Fort Benton. The Historical Society loaned the boat to Fort Benton for display and later (2005) the loan was made permanent.

Just a few years ago the town folk debated whether to let the boat continue to deteriorate or preserve it. Long story short work began in 2022 (Phase I of the project) to restore the boat. Overseeing the project was Kirby Mathews, a Deer Lodge-based retired preservationist who had overseen many restoration projects for the Forest Service. The local Community Improvement Association raised funds from several regional foundations and generous individuals to buy materials and to pay Mathews. He provided the expertise and the specialized tools and a number of locals began doing the labor. Though not of the keelboat era, the "Mandan" was built to original designs of the 1830-1860 when keelboats regularly traveled the Missouri River bringing supplies upriver and hauling furs downriver.

Work on the "Mandan" is still progressing

The first objective of Phase I (summer of 2022) was to create a set of "as built drawings" so as the boat was dismantled to dry out and replace failing parts it could be put back to its original specifications. My contact for gathering information on the "Mandan" was Henry Schnackenberg (Henry S.), a native Montanan who worked for Boeing for 29 years before retiring to Fort Benton. Of the challenge of the drawings Henry S. wrote, "I had a leg up creating the drawings as the airplane industry took its engineering standards from the ship building industry. I was used to the terminology already."

In addition to creating the needed drawings other work in 2022 included a lot of 'deconstruction' of the boat to expose the extent of rot and develop an overall plan of work needed to preserve the boat. Obvious work included "removal of the mast to eliminate toppling hazard" and replacing rotted superstructure at various points. Key artifacts, like oarlocks, belay pins, hinges and fittings were removed for inside storage and to prevent possible vandalism.

The first work of Phase II was completed June 5-9, 2023. Per Henry S. Phase II "...focused on replacing and restoring the rotting bow structure...and starting similar work in the stern structure." A second work session is scheduled for this September. Work during Phase II and beyond includes "re-skinning" the entire exterior, restoring the cabin structure, replacing the mast and cross arm and replacing details like doors, rigging and the rudder. Finally an application of preservative must cover the entire structure.

Henry S. wrote, "I would love to say that we'll be done next year to mark the 50-year anniversary (2024) of the "Mandan's" permanent home on the Fort Benton levee." He added it's more likely to be 2025 before the "Mandan" is "ship-shape." Part of the problem is the limited time the preservationist can devote to this particular project. Having adequate access to the expert and his tools and equipment has been a frustration for the volunteers doing the work.

On the upside, Henry S. described his favorite part of the work as the supportive comments visitors make when the volunteers are at work. He wrote, "It's a constant stream of positive encouragement for our volunteer team!" Of the project, per Henry S., "...the biggest benefit is to allow visitors to fully comprehend the early history of Montana by seeing an actual full-size, accurate example of keelboat transportation." When the "Mandan" and sister boats were constructed in the early 1950's one writer noted, "They were the first of their kind in a hundred years."

For more information about the "Mandan" refurbishing project search online for "Mandan keelboat in Fort Benton, Montana." You'll find a number of news stories and a wide variety of information. Or, better yet, drop by the work site of the "Mandan" during the week of September 4-8 to watch the work in progress and to give the volunteers a word of encouragement. That will literally be an opportunity to "see history in the making."