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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Mo-Wa-The
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Mo-Wa-The

Artifact IDMO 1942.221.1
Object Type Model
Maker (American, 1874 - 1944)
Gifter
Dateca. 1914
Mediumwood, fabric, metal, string, paper
Dimensionsoverall (including base) H 59 5/8 in x W 35 1/8 in x D 20 5/8 in (151.4 cm x 89.2 cm x 52.4 cm )
 box/case H 29 3/4 in x W 34 1/4 in x D 19 3/4 in (75.6 cm x 87 cm x 50.2 cm )
Physical DescriptionA scale model of the ice yacht, MO-WA-THE (the Hopi Indian word for Flash of Light). The ice yacht has a natural wood hull with two fabric sails. Several nautical flags are flying both from the top of the main sail and the main mast. The name of the ship is found on a small metal plate attached to the hull.

The model sits on a painted white wood base and is covered with an acrylic bonnet, the back of which features a large black and white photo depicting ice yachting on the Hudson River.
Historical NoteAs a youth, FDR participated in a variety of sports. During the winter months he skated and sledded at Springwood. He also pursued a daring, high-speed sport on the Hudson River—ice boating.

Ice boating involves catamaran-like sailing vessels that race across frozen rivers or lakes at speeds that can exceed 80 miles an hour. A popular winter sport on the Hudson during Roosevelt’s youth, it is still pursued by enthusiasts today.

Franklin’s mother gave him his own ice boat, the Hawk, while he was a student at Harvard College. He enjoyed the excitement of ice boating and was an officer of the Hyde Park Ice Boat Club. Later, he included ice boating materials among the items he preserved in his Library. One such example is this model of the MO-WA-THE, made around 1914 by J. Sterling Bird of Hyde Park, New York. The model was presented to President Roosevelt by Helen Cramer of New York City on March 4, 1942.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteLent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 4, 1942. Deposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 8, 1942. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesShip Models (National Archives Identifier 782457)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view