From 1792 to 1892, boatmen on the Dan River played a vital role in the economic development of the vast interior region along the river. Throughout the nineteenth century, when roads were poor, goods were transported by bateaux until railroads arrived. Before the Civil War, batteaumen were primarily enslaved and free blacks, along with some whites, and some boats were crewed entirely by slaves, including the captain. Regardless of status, these boatmen were respected for their expertise in building boats and especially for their skill as river pilots; the batteau captain and pilot was responsible for the safe arrival of crew and cargo. After the Civil War, batteaumen became the region’s most important black entrepreneurs, continuing their dominance as builders, captains, and crewmen and becoming owners as well. By 1870, about 200 batteaux worked the river. The boatmen lived mainly in the river ports of Madison, Leaksville, and Milton in North Carolina and South Boston, Clarksville, and especially Danville in Virginia, where Edward Pollock wrote in 1870 that they were important persons valued for their skills and wielded a certain amount of influence in the community.