The river community recently observed the 20th anniversary of the untimely passing (age 63) of Capt. John Hartford. Born in St. Louis in 1937, Harford (original spelling) attended the Community… Read More
Old Boat Column
A look back into the rich history of the inland waterways transportation industry. From the earliest steam paddlewheelers to the grand sternwheel and sidewheel packets, and the eventual transition from steam to diesel, you’ll find fascinating stories and photos of a different steamboat every week.
A well-known steam towboat that operated on the Ohio and Mississippi was the John A. Wood. The hull (198 feet in length by 40 feet in width) was built in… Read More
The Old Boat Column this week finds us looking back in time 145 years and exploring up the capricious and cursed Missouri River. Prominent in the image is the steamboat… Read More
The steamer Fleetwood was built at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1866. A sidewheeler with a wooden hull measuring 255 feet in length by 36 feet in width, the big packet was… Read More
One of the large and palatial sidewheelers, the Thompson Dean was built at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1872. Constructed on a wooden hull measuring 306 feet in length by 46 feet… Read More
With the spotlight on St. Louis for this week’s eighth annual Inland Marine Expo, the Old Boat Column presents a riverboat that was a favorite of the host city. Never… Read More
When Frank Pierson purchased the steamer Mississippi (then a tourist attraction moored opposite Hannibal, Mo.) in early 1966 and brought it to St. Louis to replace his sunken Becky Thatcher,… Read More
Built at Marietta, Ohio, in 1896, the first steam towboat Catharine Davis had a hull constructed of Oregon fir that was 135 feet long and 26.5 feet wide. The engines,… Read More
The steamer Silver Moon was notably a unique vessel. The boat was designed and built specifically to fit into the short locks of the Louisville & Portland Canal. Constructed in… Read More
The passing of noted and beloved Vicksburg, Miss., historian Gordon Cotton (1936–2021) on March 7 has struck a blow to those who revered Cotton as a Mississippi icon. It was… Read More
