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
steamboat
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
In 1907, the steamer Mississippi led a parade of steamboats into Memphis with a special guest aboard. After spending the entire day of October 2 in St. Louis, President Teddy… Read More
After years of a relative respite from severe winters, it appears that icy times have returned. Unlike the Upper Mississippi River where, owing to ice harbors, coves and other safe… Read More
The Eagle Packet Company of St. Louis contracted in 1913 with the Howard Shipyard to build a wood-hulled sternwheeler for $26,000. The new steamboat, 242 by 37.8 feet and named… Read More
Built for the Red River and Caddo Lake cotton trades above Shreveport, La., the cotton packet Gem was constructed in 1898 along the Ohio River. It was a product of… Read More
In 1878, the Howard Shipyard of Jeffersonville, Ind., completed work on its magnum opus, the J.M. White. Owned by the Greenville & New Orleans Packet Company, the big sidewheeler’s wooden… Read More
On March 25, 1882, shortly after departing Vicksburg, Miss., the towboat Iron Mountain struck an underwater obstruction and sank near Island 102 on the Lower Mississippi River. The entire crew… Read More
Happy New Year! We begin the Old Boat Column for 2021 with a steamboat that took its name from the star of Bethlehem. The Guiding Star, a wood-hulled sidewheeler that… Read More
