Batteauxmen were rugged, strong, and individualistic men who risked their lives daily transporting goods up and down the river. Their origins dated back to the first European settlers, whose only means of transportation in the New World wilderness was by boat. As the decades progressed, boatmen developed specialized craft such as the batteaux to increase load capacity and improve their chances of surviving shallow waters and swift flowing rapids. The river was not the only danger, for when moored on the riverbanks at night, batteauxmen had to protect their cargo from pirates and thieves, maintain the batteaux, and make emergency repairs when needed. With danger lurking around every bend, they occupied their time during occasional calm waters or after mooring for the night with cards, dice, other games of chance, and contests of strength and skill such as lifting large barrels to the shoulder or higher and running sprints along the rails of the batteau.