Part 85 (2/2)

EARLY STEAMBOAT NAVIGATION

The Pennsylvania was the first steamer that descended the Mississippi

She ca the utmost terror in the minds of the simple-hearted people who had lately been rather rudely shaken by an earthquake, and supposed the noise of the co steamer to be but the precursor of another shake When the Pennsylvania approached Shawneetown, Illinois, the people crowded the river shore, and in their alarm fell down upon their knees and prayed to be delivered fro down the river, its furnaces glowing like the open portals of the nether world

Many fled to the hills in utter dishtful appearance of the hitherto unknown monster, and the disreater terror in the scant settlements of the Lower Mississippi

In 1823 Capt Shreve coton, the fastest boat that had as yet traversed the western rivers This year the Gen

Washi+ngton made the trip from New Orleans to Louisville, Kentucky, in twenty-five days When at Louisville he anchored his boat in the uns in honor of the event, one for each day out The population of Louisville feted and honored the gallant captain for his achieveh the streets by the huzzaing crowd A rich banquet was spread, and a bowl, the captain made an eloquent speech which was vociferously applauded He declared that the titon could never be equaled by any other boat Curiously enough, some later in the season, the Tecumseh made the trip in nine days The time made by the Tecumseh was not beaten until 1833, when the Shepherdess carried away the laurels for speed

We have but little definite infor the ten years subsequent to the trip of the Pennsylvania The solitude of the Upper Mississippi was unbroken by the advent of any steamer until the year 1823 On the second of May in that year the Virginia, a steaht of 6 feet, left herladen with stores for the fort She was four days passing the Rock Island rapids, and hout

It is heedless to say that the Indians were as htened at the appearance of the ”fire canoe” as the settlers of the Ohio valley had been, and e James H Lockwood narrates (see Vol II, Wisconsin Historical Collections, page 152) that in 1824 Capt David G Bates brought a small boat named the Putna with supplies for the troops The steae to Prairie du Chien in 1824 The following year came the steamer Mandan and in 1826 the Indiana and Lawrence Fletcher Williams, in his history of St Paul, says that from 1823 to 1826 as , and that afterward their arrivals werethis priular time for arrival and departure at ports A time table would have been an absurdity ”Go as you please” or ”go as you can,” was the order of the day Passengers had rare opportunities for observation and discovery, and were frequently allowed pleasure excursions on shore while the boat was being cordelled over a rapid, was stranded on a bar, or waiting for wood to be cut and carried on board at so station So hand at the capstan, or to tread the gang plank to a ”wood up” quickstep When on their pleasure excursion they strayed away too far, they were recalled to the boat by the firing of a gun or the ringing of a bell It is doubtful if in later days, with all the ies have been ht boats of the decades between 1830 and 1850, under such genial captains and officers as the Harrises, Atchinson, Throckmorton, Brasie, Ward, Blakeley, Lodwick, Munford, Piovernation the rapids of Rock Island and Des Moines, and snags, rocks and sandbars elsewhere were serious obstructions The passengers endured the necessary delays froood nature, and the tediue was frequently enlivened by boat races with rival steaer boats were then liberally patronized The cost of a trip from St Louis to St Paul was frequently reduced to ten dollars, and considering the ti the trip (often as ood hotel, while the fare on the boat could not be excelled The boats were frequently croith passengers, whole fa on the upper decks, with groups of travelers representing all the professions and callings, travelers for pleasure and for business, explorers, artists, and adventurers At night the brilliantly lighted cabin would resound with music, furnished by the boat's band of sable minstrels, and tre of the engine

The steamer, as the one means of communication with the distant world, as the bearer of reeted at every village with eager and excited groups of people, so the arrival of friends, while others were there to part with the, in fact many of the associations of river travel produced indelible impressions In these days of rapid transit by railare lost Before the settlement of the country the wildness of the scene had a peculiar chared escarprandeur on either side of the river The perpendicular crags crowning the bluffs seemed like ruined castles, some of them with rounded turrets and battle the slopes of the bluffs was a growth of sturdy oaks, in their general contour and arrange fruit trees, vast, solitary orchards in appearance, great enough to supply the world with fruit On the slopes of the river bank wa silently under the shadow of the el the shore Occasionally a deer would be seen grazing on soht of the steaation on the Upper Mississippi would abound with interesting narratives and incidents; but of these, unfortunately, there is no authentic record, and we can only speak in general terms of the various companies that successively controlled the trade and travel of the river, or were rivals for the patronage of the public During the decade of the '30s, the Harrises, of Galena, ran several small boats fro, or through the difficult current of the Wisconsin to Fort Winnebago, towing barges laden with supplies for the Wisconsin pineries Capt Scribe Harris' favorite boat frohted in her speed, decorated her gaily with evergreens, and rounding to at landings, orwith other boats, fired a cannon from her prow to announce her imperial presence

The Smelter and other boats run by the Harris family held the commerce of the river for many years In 1846 the first daily line of steamers above St Louis was established These boats ran independently, but on stated days, from St Louis to Galena and Dubuque They were the Tele, Capt Smith Harris; Prairie Bird, Capt Niebe Wall; Monona, Capt ---- Bersie; St Croix, Capt

----; Fortune, Capt Mark Atchinson These boat owners, with others, subsequently formed a consolidated coation of the Mississippi above Galena The first boat in the line, the Argo, commanded by Russell Blakeley, was placed upon the river in 1846 The boats in this line were the Argo, Dr Franklin, Senator, Nole, and the Galena

In 1854 the Galena & Minnesota Packet Company was formed by a consolidation of various interests The co stockholders: O Smith, the Harrises, James Carter, H

Corwith, B H Campbell, D B Morehouse, H M Rice, H L Dousman, H H Sibley, and Russell Blakeley The boats of the new cole, Galena, Dr Franklin, Nominee, and the West Newton In 1857 a new company was formed, and the Dubuque boats, the Itasca and Key City, were added to the line This line continued until 1862, and the new boats, Dr Franklin, No 2, and the New St Paul, were added

The Galena had been burned at Red Wing in the fall of 1857

The following is a list of the earliest arrivals at St Paul after the opening of navigation between the years 1843 and 1858: April 5, 1843, steamer Otter, Capt Harris; April 6, 1844, steamer Otter, Capt

Harris; April 6, 1845, steamer Otter, Capt Harris; March 31, 1846, steamer Lynx, Capt Atchison; April 7, 1847, steamer Cora, Capt

Throckmorton; April 7, 1848, steahland Mary, Capt Atchison; April 19, 1850, steahland Mary, Capt Atchison; April 4, 1851, steamer Nominee, Capt

Smith; April 16, 1852, steamer Nominee, Capt Smith; April 11, 1853, steamer West Newton, Capt Harris; April 8, 1854, steale, Capt Harris; April 18, 1856, steamer Lady Franklin, Capt Lucas; May 1, 1857, steale, Capt

Harris

The following list includes boats not named in the packet and company lists with date of first appearance as far as can be ascertained:

Virginia May 20, 1823 Rufus Putnam April 5, 1825 Mandan 1825 Neville ---- Indiana 1825 Lawrence May 18, 1826 Versailles May 12, 1832 Missouri May 5, 1836 Frontier 1836 Palmyra 1836 Saint Peter's 1836 Rolla 1838 Sciota 183- Eclipse 183- Josephine 183- Fulton 183- Red River 183- Black Rover ---- Burlington 1838 Ariel 1839 Gypsy 1839 Fayette 1839 Warrior 1840 Enterprise 1840 Volant 1840 Glancus 1840 Pennsylvania 1840 Knickerbocker 1840 Otter 1841 Highland Mary 1849 Gov Ramsey (above the falls) 185- Anthony Wayne 185- Yankee 185- Black Hawk 185- Ben Accord 185- Royal Arch 185- Uncle Toby 185- Indian Queen 185- Di Vernon 185- Osprey 185- Lamartine 185- Fannie Harris 185- Asia 185- Equator 1860

The following made their appearance some time in the '40s: Cora, Lynx, Dr Franklin, No 2, and St Anthony

The Northern Line Co steamers upon the Mississippi, to run between St Louis and St Paul: The Canada, Capt Ward; Pembina, Capt Griffith; Denmark, Capt Gray; Metropolitan, Capt Rhodes; Lucy May, Capt Jenks; W, Capt

Green; Henry Clay, Capt Campbell; Fred Lorenz, Capt Parker; Northerner, Capt Alvord; Minnesota Belle, Capt Hill; Northern Light and York State, Capt ----

Co on the Upper Mississippi in 1856 with the Jacob Traber In 1857 he added the Frank Steele, and included the Minnesota river in his field of operations