New Book Honors River Historian
In a 1970 interview with a St. Louis-Post Dispatch reporter, well known educator, river historian and museum curator Ruth Ferris (1897–1993) said that the most rewarding aspect of her lengthy career was that she had engendered interest in riverboats (old and new) to a number of young people. Five decades later, a newly published children’s book, Ruth’s River Dreams, captures the essence of how Ferris became infatuated with steamboats and cleverly used the Mississippi River as a unique teaching tool during her 35-year profession as the beloved fifth-grade teacher and assistant principal at the Community School. She retired (for the first of three times) in 1957.
Elegantly written by Elizabeth Pickard, formerly of the Missouri Historical Society staff, the book for readers of all ages is vibrantly illustrated by Catherine Sibley with a number of charming river-themed woodcuts that Ferris created as Christmas cards for many years. Prominently presented is the unique saga of the pilothouse of the steamer Golden Eagle, which Ferris was instrumental in salvaging from the wrecked sternwheeler in 1947 and utilizing on the Community School campus for 14 years; it was donated in 1961 by the school to the Missouri Historical Society for the River Room gallery, of which Ferris was curator from 1957 until 1965. After being dismantled and placed into storage for 25 years, the domed and gingerbread-trimmed pilothouse has, thanks to curator David Lobbig, undergone a painstaking restoration and is part of the current Mighty Mississippi exhibition, which runs until April 18, 2021. Many of the materials contained in the new book are from the Ruth Ferris Collection of River Life and Lore, housed at the Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library, part of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a sponsor of the book. Executive director John Hoover (the first curator of the Pott Library in the 1980s) is a proud protégé of Ferris.
Waterways Journal subscribers who have regularly read the Old Boat Column since 2012 are likely well aware that this writer also fell under the spell of Ferris’ infectious enthusiasm (at age 13) when she responded to a letter I had written to Capt. J.W. Menke of the Goldenrod Showboat, both longtime legends on the St. Louis levee. At that time (1967) Ferris was setting up the Midship Museum aboard the retired steamboat Mississippi (renamed Becky Thatcher) which, in addition to the showboat, was owned by river aficionado Frank Pierson, who kindly asked Ferris to reply to this inquisitive kid; truly my lucky day! Thus began a lively correspondence (I still have all of her myriad cards and letters) and a close friendship. One of her first suggestions was that I subscribe to The Waterways Journal, also one of the book’s sponsors, so I promptly remitted the $5 fare and the rest, as they say, is history! I once apologized for asking so many questions about riverboats and river people.
My mentor graciously responded with a quote from The Wind in the Willows saying, “Believe me young friend, and there’s nothing half so much worthwhile as just messing about in boats!”
Ruth’s River Dreams is available from the Missouri History Museum shop and Amazon.com as well as other booksellers. It makes a great gift for prospective little river buffs and buffettes in your life, as well as the BIG ones, too!
Caption for top photo (click on photo for full image): Cover of new children’s book is tribute to Ruth Ferris. (Courtesy of Missouri Historical Society)
