I would think that one of the types of boats would have been the  batteau 
(the spelling seems to be unique to Virginia), a kind of  flatboat.  See the 
Virginia Canals and Navigation Society and the James  River Batteau 
Festival.    _http://vacanals.org/_ (http://vacanals.org/)  
 
The site has a book for sale, "River Boat Echoes: Batteaux in  Virginia"
 
_https://nelson.machighway.com/~vacanals/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=24&zenid=bf20d9001346dd2250c57849f53a3e9a_ 
(https://nelson.machighway.com/~vacanals/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPat
h=2&products_id=24&zenid=bf20d9001346dd2250c57849f53a3e9a) 
 
While it's not primarily about the Shenandoah, you might be interested  in 
information the site also has about Chief Justice  John Marshall's survey 
trip over the Alleghanies for the James River and Kanawha  (Canal) Company.
 
 
 
In a message dated 3/9/2011 3:54:30 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

does  anyone know the extent to which any of the rivers in the Shenandoah 
Valley  
were used for travel or commerce in the Colonial era? Relatedly is anyone  
familiar with a source -- ideally a primary one -- for what kinds of craft  
were 
used on these  rivers?

Bill



______________________________________
To  subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions  
at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html



______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html