High school students onboard Flathead Maritime Archaeology Project
Bigfork High School students Addie Griffin, Stella Kehoe and Gabrielle Thorsen help out on Fugro’s boat for the Flathead Maritime Archaeology Project. (Courtesy/BACC)
Fugro is partnering with the Bigfork Arts & Cultural Center to identify, locate, and document underwater cultural heritage sites in Flathead Lake, Montana, as part of the Flathead Maritime Archaeology Project. Working under the supervision of marine archaeologist Dr. Calvin Mires, the project is providing cultural heritage mapping and community education.
Northwest Montana’s waters hold a hidden history. Beneath the surface lie shipwrecks, train wrecks, and remnants of early settlements — time capsules of the region’s past which remain largely undocumented. Launched in 2023, FMAP aims to document and preserve this underwater legacy for the benefit of the lakeside community. In the inaugural year of this donor-funded project, local experts conducted diver-based surveys, uncovering numerous artifacts, including wreckage of the Kee-O-Mee pleasure boat.
Fugro joined the team in 2024, leveraging cutting-edge sonar and underwater imaging technologies to identify and document high-priority cultural heritage sites without any disturbance to the lakebed or cultural artifacts.
The organizations are also fostering community involvement through educational programs and outreach initiatives. To ensure a strong community-focused project, they are conducting a small-scale pilot study in 2024 based on extensive discussion with community stakeholders. The pilot involves three phases: education on sonar for Bigfork High School GIS program students provided by Fugro staff; a series of guided discussions with these students on underwater archaeology led by Dr. Mires; and a week-long data acquisition phase.
Fugro staff will use two types of sonar technology to locate cultural heritage sites in Flathead Lake, with Bigfork High School students on board the work boat for hands-on experience. Findings will be used by BACC to create educational materials, museum exhibits, and immersive art experiences for the community
Lessons learned from the pilot project will be used to plan future phases of FMAP. Those efforts will include engagement with local community colleges to determine how these activities can fit into their academic curricula and benefit students, such as through capstone papers or lesson plans. There are also plans to build deeper ties within the communities around Flathead Lake, providing additional scientific information about the lake to support management based on high-quality data.