Government

A Brief History of Duck Boat Tours

How amphibious war vehicles came to roam the streets of major cities worldwide.
A Wisconsin Duck tour of the Wisconsin Dells in the 1960s. The Wiconsin Ducks were the first to bring amphibious vehicles to the tourism industry.Courtesy of Original Wisconsin Ducks

Boston’s Newbury Street is quiet and leafy; high-end stores peek out between sidewalk cafes, where stoppers sit outside, soaking up the sun.

But from down the street lumbers an army utility vehicle, painted tarp-blue and piloted by a man in sunglasses and a tattered red bandana. He goes by the name Captain WeirdBeard. He lets out a strange sound: Quack! His 32 passengers join in. They all wave as they trundle by the shoppers.