The Flathead Maritime Archaeology Project continues to look at what lies at the bottom of Flathead Lake and Lead Marine Archaeologist Calvin Mires is returning to Bigfork to give an update.  

The underwater exploration is part of the Bigfork History Project at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center and has been ongoing since 2022. Executive Director Julie Bottum said it’s an effort to better understand the underwater stories of Flathead Lake and the rivers that feed it. 

“We continue, step by step, to scan the lake. This is a multi-year project, so as we do this, we continue to share with the community, doing lectures and presentations. I think our lakes have a lot to share with us in terms of our history,” Bottum said.  

Mires, who grew up outside of Helena, joined the project last year. Bottum said both of his parents taught at Salish Kootenai College, so he’s always been educated-minded and willing to share how researchers document underwater historical sites. Holding a doctorate in maritime archaeology, Mires works as a professor at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts.  

He’s explored and documented shipwrecks around the world.   

“The fact that he came on board and wants to share what he has learned and what he teaches in his classes at Woods Hole — he’s a super generous soul that way,” Bottum said. “He adds credibility to the project, because he’s overseeing the authenticity of the findings and sharing the processes with the community.” 

Flathead Lake’s history with humans runs deep — from centuries of use by local Native American tribes to settlers’ ferries and logging boats. The project has previously documented sunken ships such as the Kee-O-Mee, a large luxury boat that sank in Somers Bay in 1937. 

But the archaeology project is about more than “shipwrecks or sonar,” according to a release from the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center. It looks at how rivers, lakes and shorelines shape lives, settlements, trade and beliefs.  

Objects are only recorded and are not being recovered. Fugro International, a geodata company, has partnered with the maritime project to collect scans of Flathead Lake and photogrammetry — a process that will create a 3D map of sites. During his visit to Bigfork, Mires will hold a youth workshop on exploring the lake bed, a media day featuring visuals from the project’s searches, a boat-side demonstration of the underwater technology and a student interview lab where kids will create a podcast and oral history content.  

There will also be roundtable discussions with local stakeholders and a collaborative session with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 

The community kick-off event for Mires’ visit is Aug. 26 at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center, which will include remarks from Mires, visuals from explorations and information about this year’s Great Fish Challenge, starting at 6:30 p.m.  

On Aug. 28, Mires will give a lecture at the BACC starting at 6 p.m., called “Beneath the Surface: Stories from the Lakebed” and will include narration of FMAP visuals and a Q&A.  

More educational opportunities continue on Aug. 29 with a youth workshop about how FMAP explores the lake bed, taking place in the art and cultural center’s makerspace at 11 a.m.  

And the week concludes with a pop-up exhibit and coffee chat from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the BACC. There will be previews of their new oral history booth, podcast clips and 3D maps for the Bigfork history museum, part of the Bigfork History Project.  

For more information, visit baccbigfork.org/. 

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].