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