Beneath the surface of Flathead Lake lies a history rarely seen.
The vast waterways of northwest Montana have long shaped patterns of migration, settlement, and livelihood. From shipwrecks and train derailments to submerged remnants of early Indigenous and settler communities, these underwater sites are silent witnesses to untold chapters of regional history.
A child’s question became a mission.
In early 2022, during a school activity in Bigfork Bay, students used a consumer-grade underwater robot to search for shipwrecks. One child asked, How long will they last before they disappear?” That moment sparked something urgent. With no formal underwater survey eve conducted in the region, the team launched the Flathead Maritime Archaeology Project (FMAP), led by Dr. Calvin Mires—Montana-born maritime archaeologist—and a network of cultural and technical experts.
"These underwater archaeological sites represent missing chapters in our historical record that remain largely undocumented."
Preserving the past before it’s lost.
At first, the aim was simple: document what remains before nature or human impact erases it. But as the team dove deeper, the opportunity revealed itself to be much bigger. The project could bring lasting educational, scientific, and cultural value to the Flathead Valley and beyond.
A cultural heritage project... to capture the condition of underwater cultural heritage items before they decayed.
Built on collaboration.
In 2023, the FMAP team launched a pilot field season—ten days of sonar and survey work backed by months of community engagement. This included not just technical specialists, but local educators, students, and tribal observers. The work helped forge lasting relationships with three types of communities:
Communities of Practice
Scientists, archaeologists, and sonar technicians
Communities of Place
Residents, educators, and students in the Flathead Valley
Communities of Identity
Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural stakeholders
This framework ensured a respectful and inclusive process—one that prioritized shared ownership of the project’s findings.