With Election Day approaching and campaigns heating up, the Old Boat Column this week features a steamboat named for a famous politician. Erastus Wells was born in 1823 at Sackets… 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.
One of the best known and most revered steamboats of all time was the cotton packet America, owned and operated by Capt. LeVerrier (“L.V.”) Cooley. A trim steamboat with beautiful… Read More
In last week’s Old Boat Column image of the St. Louis riverfront in 1970, one of the vessels prominently in view was the restaurant boat Lt. Robert E. Lee. Originally… Read More
This week, the Old Boat Column steps back five decades to August 1970. Prominently in the foreground of this aerial view of St. Louis is the sternwheel dredge Sainte Genevieve,… Read More
If you reside in New Orleans or have occasion to visit the fabled Crescent City, allow yourself ample time to follow the call of the calliope and take a leisurely… Read More
In 1952, a young man named Clarke Campbell Hawley joined the crew of the excursion steamboat Avalon as calliope player and popcorn popper, embarking on an adventure that spanned more… Read More
The river community is saddened with news of the passing of Letha Jane Greene, 77, on June 20, at Cincinnati, Ohio. Youngest of the four children born to Capt. Tom… Read More
A lucky and recent acquisition is this week’s main image of a pretty packet boat that was popular in the annals of Ohio River steamboating. The Tell City was constructed… Read More
There was grand excitement along the St. Louis levee 150 years ago when the steamer Rob’t. E. Lee triumphantly arrived on July 4, 1870, hours ahead of the Natchez after… Read More
When the steel hull of the steamer Idlewild slid into the Allegheny River at the James Rees yard on October 18, 1914, it is doubtful that anyone present had the… Read More
