Ship Model, Columbia River Salmon Boat
date: label: Date made
content: before 1876
notes: label: Description
content: This model represents the type of small boat used for gill-netting salmon on the lower Columbia River around 1876. Known as sailing gillnetters, these vessels were well suited to the tasks of fishermen working drift nets, which were walls of netting set across the path of salmon swimming upstream. The round-bottom hull is sharp on both ends, a feature that allowed the boat to ride more easily while the net was adrift. Its sprit rig was used for sailing to and from the fishing grounds and was easily stowed while fishing. The boats ranged between 23 and 28 feet in length. This model represents a vessel of 25 feet 6 inches in length, 6 feet 3 inches abeam, and 2 feet 3 inches in depth.
label: Description
content: The sailing gillnetter type was introduced to the Columbia River region between 1869 and 1872 and quickly replaced the smaller skiffs then in use. The early gillnetters were shipped north from boat builders in San Francisco, but by 1875 the type was being built locally. While a few fishermen purchased their own boats, the vast majority were owned by salmon canneries, which rented the vessels to local fishermen. When this model was made in 1876, there were about 500 sailing gillnetters on the river. By 1905 there were some 2,700.
label: Description
content: This model was donated by Livingston Stone, an early advocate of fish hatcheries, who served as Deputy Commissioner of Fisheries for the Pacific coast from 1872 to 1898, and senior fish culturist of the U.S. Fish Commission from 1898 to 1903.
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Oregon, Astoria
label: Place Made
content: United States: Columbia River
topic: label: Subject
content: Fishing
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Work
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
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content: On the Water exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Livingston Stone
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.22216
label: accession number
content: 5201
label: catalog number
content: 22216
objectType: label: Object Name
content: boat model
label: Object Name
content: model, rigged boat
label: Object Name
content: boat, rigged model
label: Object Name
content: Boat, rigged model
label: Object Name
content: model, rigged boat
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: textile (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22 in x 27 in x 6 5/8 in; 55.88 cm x 68.58 cm x 16.8275 cm