July 17, 2022
History Comes Alive in a Boat Tour
Mohegan Tribe’s story of survival along the Thames River is shared during excursion.
New London – Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, former chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council and Mohegan Sun casino, opened the Saturday afternoon boat tour on the
Thames River by piping the Gilligan’s Island theme song into the sound system he’d carried with him onto the water taxi.
But this was not a three-hour tour like the one in the famous 1960s sitcom, nor did it end in a shipwreck. Instead, the excursion on the Thames River Heritage Park boat took just over an hour from New London’s City Pier toward the casino and back again on a mild summer day. And while Bozsum did his best to keep things light, there was seriousness that could not be avoided as he told roughly a dozen passengers about the Mohegan Tribe’s centurieslong fight for its life along the Thames.
Bozsum and fellow Mohegan Tribal Council of Elders member Phil “Yellow Hawk” Russell introduced themselves as cousins, both descendants of Uncas — a revered chief, statesman and warrior who led the tribe at the time of its inception more than 400 years ago.