keelboatman
Cargo vessel crewman
A keelboatman was a riverman who operated keelboats—long, shallow cargo vessels used on American rivers before steamboats dominated.
These men poled, rowed, and sometimes towed their boats upstream, work requiring tremendous strength and endurance.
The keelboatman became a folk figure of the early American frontier, epitomized by the legendary Mike Fink.
Inland waterway worker
- flatboatLevel-bottomed river craft
- fur tradeCommercial exchange of animal skins
- Lewis and ClarkEarly 1800s expedition leaders
- Mississippi RiverLongest North American watercourse
voyageur · westward expansion · pioneer · frontier · explorer · trapper · expedition · Ohio River
Cylindrical shaft or extremity
- towlineRope for hauling vessels
- oarLever for watercraft
- sweatMoisture from skin pores
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
muscle · endurance · calluses · grit · strength · fatigue · upstream · current
Wildly exaggerated story
- brawlerHabitual fist-fighter
- frontiersmanSettler of wild borders
- roughneckOil platform laborer
- boasterOne who brags
folk hero · whiskey · rowdy · braggart · riverman · American folklore · strength · legend
Outer covering or frame
- rudderPivoting stern blade
- cargo holdVessel's storage area
- deckShip's flat surface
- sternStrict or ship's aft
riverman
Inland waterway worker
- flatboatLevel-bottomed river craft
- fur tradeCommercial exchange of animal skins
- Lewis and ClarkEarly 1800s expedition leaders
Mississippi River · voyageur · westward expansion · pioneer · frontier · explorer · trapper · expedition · Ohio River · Missouri River
pole
Cylindrical shaft or extremity
toil · muscle · endurance · calluses · grit · strength · fatigue · upstream · current · cargo
tall tale
Wildly exaggerated story
- brawlerHabitual fist-fighter
- frontiersmanSettler of wild borders
- roughneckOil platform laborer
boaster · folk hero · whiskey · rowdy · braggart · riverman · American folklore · strength · legend · Ohio River
hull
Outer covering or frame
- rudderPivoting stern blade
- cargo holdVessel's storage area
- deckShip's flat surface
stern · bow · mast · sail · oar · pole · towrope · flatboat · barge · draft
cargo
Transported goods
shipment · fur trade · merchandise · transport · delivery · supply · market · merchant · export · downriver
keelboatmanteamster
Professional cargo driver
muleteer · stagecoach driver · freighter · railroad engineer · drover
keel, boat, man, keelboat, keels, keeled, keeling, boats, boated