What was it like to navigate the waterways on a flatboat back in the 1830s? The students in Mr. Pietrykowski’s Indiana Studies class found out recently with a little help from Mr. Jung’s Physics class.

“We wanted to explore what it was like to send harvest down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans on flat boats from the eighteen-thirties. We had students build their own model of a Flatboat using only material that would have been available in that time period (with the exception of modern glue) and simulated cargo using smooth rocks. We tested who had the best sailboat design in a simulated current tunnel that Mr. Jung’s Physics class helped us build. Overall, it was a successful project and I think we will probably do it again next year.”  Mr. Pietrykowski