Celebration Of U.S. 250th Birthday & 161st Anniversary Of The Sinking Of The Bertrand
June 27 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge celebrates the United States’ 250th birthday and the 161st anniversary of the sinking of the Bertrand on June 27. In the morning, there’s a family fishing clinic on DeSoto Lake. The Bertrand-related activities will be held in the afternoon at the DeSoto Visitor Center.
The family fishing clinic will be held from 9 am to 11 a.m. at the South Gate Recreation Area. The fishing clinic is led by a refuge volunteer who is also a certified Nebraska Youth Fishing Instructor. Fishing rods and bait provided courtesy of the Friends of Boyer Chute and DeSoto. Participants are also welcome to bring their own fishing gear. No registration is required, just meet up at our South Gate Recreation Area near the handicap accessible fishing dock. People of all fishing experience levels are welcome. Kid’s younger than 16 can fish without a license. Participants aged 16 and older will need a valid Iowa or Nebraska fishing license to participate.
From 1 to 3 p.m., living history re-enactors will be present throughout the visitor center, giving a sense of what life and travel may have been like for the travelers, salesmen, crew, and others aboard the Bertrand on their way to new opportunities in the Montana Territory. There will also be activities for children and adults during that time, including stenciling, button making, Bertrand Steamboat artwork and a Bertrand cargo scavenger hunt.
Beginning at 3 p.m., a refuge volunteer will present a talk on the various conservation projects undertaken to preserve the cargo of the Bertrand. This will be followed by the Bertrand Museum Curator and a presentation on the impact of the Bertrand and other steamboats on the country’s expansion into the West.
The refuge Visitor Center will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. the day of the event.
