For those of us living in the Shenandoah Valley, have often heard the name Shipwreck Farms. It’s an area located in Rinacas Corner, Shenandoah Virginia. Many have wondered how it got its name. It was named after gundalow wrecks in the Shenandoah River. Gundalow was a type of boat that used to carry cargo down the Shenandoah River.

Front Cover: A unique photo of a Shenandoah River Gundalow. This is the only known photograph of the type of boat which carried cargo down the Shenandoah. Known as Gundalows or gondola boats. They were heavy, square-ended whitewater flatbats which were sold for lumber and made into buildings when they reach their destinations. This photograph was taken by John W. Mills, great grandfather of Joseph P. Mill of Shenandoah, who still has the original photograph and graciously made it available for our cover. It is of necessity a fuzzy picture, of a moving boat in the early days of photograph. The photograph was probable taken before 1881 when the railroad came along, and just below the present-day Shenandoah Dam where high buffs line the left (west) bank. Gundalos were up to 90 feet long with two steering platforms, one for each oarsman. This seems to be a short gundalos, with one steering platform in the middle.

Information obtained from The Shenandoah River Atlas. Prepared by W.E.Trout, III for the Virginia Canals and Navigations Society and the Friends of the Shenandoah River, Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, Friends of the North River. Published by The Friends of the Shenandoah River, 1997