Bismarck in Burleigh County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Bullboats
Photographed by Connor Olson, November 2, 2019
1. Bullboats Marker
Inscription.
Bullboats, round-bottomed watercrafts, were used by the Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras to transport goods and people along waterways. Bullboats were indispensable for river traffic and for hauling loads of driftwood for cooking and heating fires. They were made by stretching a bison hide over a framework of pliable wood, such as willow or ash, creating a watertight vessel. The bullboats were constructed so that the hide runs length-wise along the bottom of the frame to avoid friction against the water. Generally one person would kneel or sit in the front of the boat and use a single paddle to direct the bullboat forward. If two people were traveling, they might sit side by side and paddle as if in a canoe.
When not in use, bullboats were removed from the water and placed in the shade or taken into an earthlodge. When unprotected from the sun or wind, the bullboat could warp or the hide covering could split.
Owl-woman, a Mandan born about 1840, demonstrated the process of constructing a bullboat to Gilbert Wilson, anthropologist, and Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, in the early 1900s. This series of photos illustrates the process.
Captions: , Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, and a woman paddle in their bullboat, circa 1909. , Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths build the framework for a bullboat. , Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths trim the hide covering and attach the hide to the frame. The green hide was tied tightly over the completed frame with the hair of the hide on the outer side. , Constructed bullboat with paddle. Owl-woman reported to Gilbert Wilson that once the hide covering was attached to the frame it would dry in the sun for three days with its interior facing the sun. During this time it was protected from rain.
Bullboats, round-bottomed watercrafts, were used by the Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras to transport goods and people
along waterways. Bullboats were indispensable for river traffic and for hauling loads of driftwood for cooking and heating
fires. They were made by stretching a bison hide over a framework of pliable wood, such as willow or ash, creating a
watertight vessel. The bullboats were constructed so that the hide runs length-wise along the bottom of the frame to
avoid friction against the water. Generally one person would kneel or sit in the front of the boat and use a single paddle to
direct the bullboat forward. If two people were traveling, they might sit side by side and paddle as if in a canoe.
When not in use, bullboats were removed from the water and placed in the shade or taken into an earthlodge. When
unprotected from the sun or wind, the bullboat could warp or the hide covering could split.
Owl-woman, a Mandan born about 1840, demonstrated the process of constructing a bullboat to Gilbert Wilson,
anthropologist, and Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, in the early 1900s. This series of photos illustrates the process.
Captions: Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, and a woman paddle in
their bullboat, circa 1909. Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths build the framework for a
bullboat. Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths trim the hide covering and
attach the hide to the frame. The green hide was tied tightly over the
completed frame with the hair of the hide on the outer side. Constructed bullboat with paddle. Owl-woman reported to
Gilbert Wilson that once the hide covering was attached to the
frame it would dry in the sun for three days with its interior facing
the sun. During this time it was protected from rain.
Location. 46° 56.354′ N, 100° 54.139′ W. Marker is in Bismarck, North Dakota, in Burleigh County. It can be reached from Double Ditch Loop. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bismarck ND 58503, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on North Dakota’s Missouri Plateau. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 467 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on January 10, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 2, 3. submitted on September 15, 2025, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
