Built Pittsburgh, 1811, Length, 138 ft. 371 tons. Robert Fulton's financial success on the Hudson gave him funds to fulfill a second ambition, which John Fitch had also held: introduction of steamboats on the Western Waters, to us the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Fulton sent Nicholas Roosevelt, another steamboat experimenter, to Pittsburgh to build the New Orleans, first steamer to operate west of the Allegheny Mountains. Little information on the New Orleans has survived. There is even some question whether she was a sidewheeler or a sternwheeler. Her first voyage took place in 1811, when she left Pittsburgh in October, doubled back from Louisville to Cincinnati to prove she could run against the current, and reached New Olreans in January, 1812. For the 1911 centennial celebration of this event, a sidewheel replica of the New Orleans was built. It is shown in this photograph. The original boat plied the Lower Mississippi until 1814, when she hit a snag and sank.
The Vim was originally built as the Hattie Brown, a single deck sternwheeler at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania in 1895. Her dimensions were:- 125 x 22.6 x 4.3 feet. She was built for J. W. Rice of Zanesville, Ohio and her engines came from the Lizzie Cassel. They were 12's with a 4-foot stroke. She ran various short trades on the Ohio River. The Hattie Brown was rebuilt at Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1915 and renamed the Vim. She was owned by the Louisville and Cincinnati Packet Company. The Vim came out in June, 1919 for the Madison and Kentucky River trade. In August 1919 her name was changed to Richard Roe. In March, 1921 she was in the Madison and Monterey trade, Kentucky River. Later Captain Lewis Tanner bought and used her for towing.
Corps of Engineers Snagboat Missouri on Mo. River, 1912. Burned at Gasconade Mo. July 28, 1928. Was sunk behind dike about 2 miles below Gasconade, Dec. 1929. Winter ice breakup broke hole in dike. March 1930, channel was through hole. March 15, 1930, Dredge Kappa, hit and sank on top, Snagboat Missouri. George Kishmar.
The sternwheel towboat Oakland was built at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1872. Her hull dimensions were: - 210 x 35 x 6 feet. Tonnage: 628, gross and net. Her horse power was rated at 1280. She was first owned jointly by Captains Tom Fawcett and William \"McKeesport Billy\" Smith. Shortly thereafter she was sold to the St. Louis and Mississippi Valley Transportation Company of St. Louis, Missouri. She was used to tow bulk freight between St. Louis and New Orleans. In 1881 she took down what was considered the largest tow of bulk grain handled by one boat from St. Louis to New Orleans - 263,000 bushels of corn, 90,000 bushels of wheat; all in eight barges. On March 14, 1897, the steamer C. O. in two of the Oakland, when passing Hickman, Kentucky, struck the Big Eddy and parted her headlines. She swung around, turned over and sunk in 100 feet of water, a total loss; valued at $3000. No one hurt and no lives lost. She aws taken into the Pittsburgh \"Combine\" in the early 1900's, and then towed coal from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. In May 1907, towing 28 pieces loaded with 21,000 tons of coal, she made the run from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in 15 days. On June 15, 1909, charges were preferred by James E. Culver, a licensed mate of river steamers, against Captain James Beazell, master, for leaving the port of Louisville, without having a licensed mate on board. After an inquiry the charges were not sustained and the case dismissed. In early 1914 her name was changed to the F. M. Wallace and the texas removed. She sank in the Mississippi River just south of St. Louis about 1921. Part of her was evidently salvaged as on January 5, 1924 the Barret Line offered for sale the hull of the towboat F. M. Wallace, formerly the speedy Oakland.
The Uncle Sam was originally constructed as the Jacob Richtman at Sterling Island, Missouri in 1898. Her dimensions were:- 160 x 32 x 5 feet; 469 tons. She had two boilers and her engines were 14 inches with a 6-foot stroke. She was a sternwheel packet. On April 17, 1903 while the Jacob Richtman was descending the Mississippi River with two loaded barges and a log raft in town she struck a span coming through a bridge. On account of a strong stern wind and the current she had become unmanageable; the damage was slight. In 1903 she was bought by Captain T. Adams and ran in the excursion business out of Quincy, Illinois. While lying in her winter quarters fire was discovered on November 17, 1904, and she was reported as buring to the water's edge, a total loss. She was evidently rebuilt as she was later owned by the Missouri River Navigation Company and ran out of Kansas City, Missouri. On May 18, 1901, while backing away from the landing at Kansas City, Missouri, she collided with a sand dredge owned by the Builder's Sand Company of that city. At the time, this dredge was navigated by a lime cable from shore to a steam windless on the dredge boat. The force of the collision caused the Uncle Sam to sink almost immediately after she was run ashore. At the time 95 passengers and a full complement of crew were aboard. She was a total loss, estimated at $20,000.
This map, plotted out by Norbury Wayman, shows the various locations of steamboat lines and related companies on the St. Louis levee, detailing three periods of time; before 1865; 1865 - 1900; and 1900 - 1953. Lines and companies are donated by name, location and years of operation. Nearby streets are mapped as well, for easy frame of reference. Scale in feet: 100 ft. = 1 inch.
Annotated photograph album documenting photographer Frank Fiske’s two-week steamboat journey on the Missouri River in 1918.
Fiske was a prominent early 20th century photographer who grew up at Fort Yates, near the Standing Rock Reservation. Fiske learned photography at a young age, mentoring under the Fort Yates post photographer Stephen T. Fansler. Fiske took over Fansler’s studio when he was seventeen and spent the next two decades photographing the community of Standing Rock. Fiske was best known for his photographs depicting everyday Lakota life and the changing frontier, but he was also a writer and served as a newspaper editor and assistant steamboat captain.
This album documents Fiske’s journey aboard the steamer Scarab of the Benton Packet Company. The boat departed Fort Yates, North Dakota on June 16, 1918 and arrived in St. Louis on July 2. The album contains 100 silver gelatin photographs that capture largely undocumented aspects of life along one of America's great western rivers. Each image provides viewers the intimate feeling of standing on the deck of the Scarab, alongside Fiske, as he makes his journey. The album includes views of the Scarab and the passing boats, Missouri River scenes and images of the surrounding landscape, military outposts, infrastructure projects, railroads, river towns, historic sites, and more. Fiske gave this album to Captain Isaac P. Baker, owner of the Benton Packet Company of Bismarck, North Dakota.