From the Steamboat Bertrand, De Soto, Nebraska.

In 1865 the Bertrand hit a snag, or submerged log, twenty miles north of Omaha. The ship had set out from St. Louis and was bound for Montana goldfields. Its cargo was a complete loss. Legend indicated the ship carried whiskey, coins and 500 flasks of mercury to be used in the mining process. Although National Park Service Archeologists excavated the site in 1969, this hat was acquired by the Nebraska State Historical Society much earlier.

This black Hardee hat from Steamship Bertrand, de Soto Bend. No hatband or, apparently, sweat liner. In delicate condition, having survived many years in water and mud of the Missouri river.