Teaching American History through the Arts
The Songs

Shenandoah


About the Song

  • This song is said to have originated with French voyageurs traveling down the Missouri River.
  • The lyrics tell the story of a trader who fell in love with the daughter of an Algonquian chief, Shenandoah.
  • American sailors heading down the Mississippi River picked up the song and made it a capstan shanty that they sang while hauling in the anchor.