Oh Shenandoah

A traditional American folk song and sea shanty that originated with fur traders and voyageurs traveling down the Missouri River in the early 19th century. The earliest versions tell the tale of a canoeing trader who falls in love with the daughter of a Native American chief named Shenandoah, often identified as John Skenandoa, an Oneida Iroquois chief from upstate New York. The recurring phrase "Across the wide Missouri" reinforces its connection to the river and westward expansion. By the mid-1800s, the song transitioned from a river-based folk song to a popular capstan shanty used by flatboatmen and sailors to synchronize their efforts while hauling in anchors, eventually spreading globally through American clipper ships.