Old Times on the Upper Mississippi
century ago--strenuous and rough, indeed, but possessing a wonderful
fascination to one who has once fallen under the influence of its
spell.
Appendix
Appendix A
_List of Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi River,
1823-1863_
In the following compilation I have endeavored to give as complete
a history as possible of every boat making one or more trips on
the upper Mississippi River--that is to say, above the upper
rapids--prior to 1863, not counting boats engaged exclusively in
the rafting business. Owing to the repetition of names as applied
to different steamers, which were built, ran their course, and were
destroyed, only to be followed by others bearing the same name, it is
altogether likely that some have escaped notice. Others that may have
made the trip have left no sign. In nearly every case the record is
made either at St. Paul or at Galena. Whenever possible, the names of
the master and clerk are given. Where boats were running regularly
in the trade but one notation is made: "St. Paul, 1852; 1854; etc.",
which might include twenty trips during the season. The record
covers the period from 1823, when the first steamer, the "Virginia",
arrived at St. Peters from St. Louis, with government stores for Fort
Snelling, up to 1863, one year after the writer left the river.
ADELIA--Stern-wheel; built at California, Pa., 1853; 127 tons; St.
Paul, 1855; 1856; 1857--Capt. Bates, Clerk Worsham.
ADMIRAL--Side-wheel; built at McKeesport, Pa., 1853; 245 tons; 169
feet long, 26 feet beam; in St. Paul trade 1854--Capt. John Brooks;
went into Missouri River trade; was snagged and sunk October, 1856,
at head of Weston Island, in shallow water; had very little cargo at
time; was raised and ran for many years thereafter in Missouri River
trade.
ADRIATIC--Side-wheel; built at Shousetown, Pa., 1855; 424 tons; was
in great ice jam at St. Louis, February, 1856.
ADVENTURE--In Galena trade 1837--Capt. Van Houten.
A. G. MASON--Stern-wheel; built at West Brownsville, Pa., 1855;
170 tons; in St. Paul trade 1855; 1856; 1857--Captain Barry, Clerk
Pearman.
ALBANY--Very small boat; in Minnesota River trade 1861.
ALEX. HAMILTON--Galena and St. Paul trade 1848--Captain W. H. Hooper.
ALHAMBRA--Stern-wheel; built at McKeesport, Pa., 1854; 187 tons;
Minnesota Packet Company, St. Paul trade 1855--Captain McGuire;
1856--Captain W. H. Gabbert; 1857--Captain McGuire; same trade 1858;
1859; 1860; 1861; 1862, in Dunleith Line, Captain William Faucette.
ALICE--Stern-wheel; built at California, Pa., 1853; 72 tons; at St.
Paul 1854.
ALPHIA--Galena and St. Louis trade 1837.
ALTOONA--Stern-wheel; built at Brownsville, Pa., 1853; 66 tons; was
in great ice jam at St. Louis, February, 1856; at St. Paul 1857; sunk
at Montgomery tow-head 1859.
AMARANTH--(First)--Galena trade 1842--Captain G. W. Atchinson; sunk
at head of Amaranth Island 1842.
AMARANTH--(Second)--At Galena, from St. Louis, April 8, 1845.
AMERICA--Sunk 1852, opposite Madison, Iowa.
AMERICAN EAGLE--Cossen, master, burned at St. Louis, May 17, 1849;
loss $14,000.
AMERICUS--Stern-wheel; at St. Paul 1856.
AMULET--At Galena, from St. Louis, April 9, 1846.
ANGLER--St. Paul 1859.
ANNIE--At Galena, on her way to St. Peters, April 1, 1840.
ANSON NORTHRUP--Minnesota River boat; was taken to pieces and
transported to Moorhead in 1859, where she was put together again and
run on the Red River of the North by Captain Edwin Bell for J. C.
Burbank & Co., proprietors of the Great Northwestern stage lines.
ANTELOPE--Minnesota River packet 1857; 1858; 1860; 1861. One hundred
and ninety-eight tons burden.
ANTHONY WAYNE--Side-wheel; built 1844; in Galena & St. Louis trade
1845, 1846, and 1847--Captain Morrison first, later Captain Dan
Able; 1850--Captain Able; went up to the Falls of St. Anthony 1850,
first boat to make the trip; made a trip up the Minnesota River
into the Indian country, as far as Traverse des Sioux with a large
excursion party from St. Paul in 1850; went into Missouri River trade
and sank March 25, 1851, three miles above Liberty Landing, Mo.,
being a total loss.
ARCHER--At Galena, from St. Louis, Sept. 8, 1845; sunk by collision
with steamer "Di Vernon", in chute between islands 521 and 522, five
miles above mouth of Illinois River, Nov. 27, 1851; was cut in two,
and sunk in three minutes, with a loss of forty-one lives.
ARCOLA--St. Croix River boat, at St. Paul 1856; sunk in Lake Pepin
1857, cut down by ice.
ARGO--Galena and St. Peters trade, 1846--Captain Kennedy Lodwick;
1847--Captain M. W. Lodwick, Clerk Russell Blakeley; regular packet
between Galena and St. Paul, including Stillwater and Fort Snelling;
at Galena from St. Croix Falls 1847, with 100 passengers; sunk fall
of 1847 at foot of Argo Island, above Winona, Minn.
ARIEL--(First)--At Fort Snelling and St. Peters June 20, 1838; August
27, 1838; Sept. 29, 1838, from Galena; 1839--Captain Lyon, at Fort
Snelling April 14; made three other trips to Fort Snelling that
season. She was built by Captain Thurston.
ARIEL--(Second)--Built at Cincinnati, Ohio, 1854; 169 tons; Minnesota
River packet 1861.
ARIZONA--Stern-wheel--Captain Herdman, from Pittsburg, at St. Paul,
1857.
ASIA--Stern-wheel; St. Paul trade 1853; made twelve trips between St.
Louis and St. Paul during season.
ATLANTA--At St. Paul, from St. Louis, Captain Woodruff, 1857; again
1858.
ATLANTIC--At St. Paul 1856--Captain Isaac M. Mason.
ATLAS--Side-wheel; new at Galena, 1846--Captain Robert A. Riley; at
St. Peters, from Galena, 1846; sunk near head of Atlas Island.
AUDUBON--Stern-wheel; built at Murraysville, Pa., 1853; 191 tons;
St. Paul trade 1855; Captain William Fisher made his initial trip as
an independent pilot on this boat.
AUNT LETTY--Side-wheel; built at Elizabeth, Pa., 1855; 304 tons; in
Northern Line, St. Louis and St. Paul, 1857--Captain C. G. Morrison;
1859, same.
BADGER STATE--Built at California, Pa., 1850; 127 tons; St. Paul
trade 1855 and 1856; sunk at head of Montgomery tow-head 1856.
BALTIMORE--Sunk, 1859, at Montgomery tow-head; hit wreck of "Badger
State" and stove. Wreck of "Baltimore" lies on top of wreck of
"Badger State".
BANGOR--St. Paul 1857; 1859.
BANJO--Show boat--first of the kind in the river; was at St. Paul in
1856; with a "nigger show". Was seated for an audience, and stopped
at all landings along the river, giving entertainments. Captain
William Fisher was pilot on her part of one season.
BELFAST--At St. Paul 1857; 1859.
BELLE GOLDEN--Stern-wheel; built at Brownsville, Pa., 1854; 189 tons;
at St. Paul 1855--Captain I. M. Mason.
BELMONT--At Galena, from St. Louis, April 9, 1846; again May 22, 1847.
BEN BOLT--Side-wheel; built at California, Pa., 1853; 228 tons; at
St. Paul, from St. Louis, 1855--Captain Boyd; at St. Paul, 1856; 1857.
BEN CAMPBELL--Side-wheel; built at Shousetown, Pa., 1852; 267 tons;
in Galena & Minnesota Packet Co., 1852--Captain M. W. Lodwick; rather
slow, and too deep in water for upper river; at St. Paul 1853--Capt.
M. W. Lodwick; at St. Paul 1859.
BEN COURSIN--Stern-wheel; built at Cincinnati, Ohio, 1854; 161 tons;
at St. Paul 1856; 1857; sunk above mouth of Black River, near La
Crosse, fall of 1857.
BEN WEST--Side-wheel; at St. Paul, from St. Louis, spring 1855; went
into Missouri River trade; struck bridge and sank near Washington,
Mo., August, 1855.
BERLIN--At St. Paul 1855; 1856; 1859.
BERTRAND--Rogers, master, at Galena 1846; regular St. Louis packet;
advertised for pleasure trip to St. Peters June 19, 1846.
BLACKHAWK--Captain M. W. Lodwick, 1852; bought that year by the
Galena Packet Co., for a low water boat; ten trips to St. Paul 1853;
Captain R. M. Spencer, opening season 1854, later O. H. Maxwell;
1855, Minnesota River packet, Capt. O. H. Maxwell; at St. Paul 1859.
BLACK ROVER--Eleventh steamboat to arrive at Fort Snelling, prior to
1827.
BON ACCORD--At Galena, from St. Louis, Captain Hiram Bersie, August
31, 1846; in Galena and upper river trade, same captain, 1847; in St.
Louis and Galena trade 1848, same captain.
BRAZIL--(First)--Captain Orren Smith, at Galena April 4, 1838; at
Fort Snelling June 15, 1838; advertised for pleasure excursion from
Galena to Fort Snelling, July 21, 1839; advertised for pleasure
excursion from Galena to Fort Snelling, 1840; sunk in upper rapids,
Rock Island, 1841, and total loss.
BRAZIL--(Second)--Captain Orren Smith, new, arrived at Galena Sept.
24, 1842; 160 feet long, 23 feet beam; arrived at Galena from St.
Peters, Minn., June 5, 1843.
BRAZIL--(Third)--Stern-wheel; built at McKeesport, Pa., 1854; 211
tons; at St. Paul 1856; 1857--Captain Hight, from St. Louis; at St.
Paul 1858.
BRIDGEWATER--At Galena, from St. Louis, April 11, 1846.
BROWNSVILLE--Snagged and sunk in Brownsville Chute, 1849.
BURLINGTON--(First)--At Galena, from St. Peters, June 17, 1837; at
Fort Snelling, Captain Joseph Throckmorton, May 25, 1838, and again
June 13, 1838; third trip that season, arrived at the Fort June 28,
1836, with 146 soldiers from Prairie du Chien, for the Fort.
BURLINGTON--(Second)--Sunk at Wabasha, prior to 1871; in Northern
Line; built 1860.
BURLINGTON--(Third)--Large side-wheel, in Northern Line, 1875; St.
Louis and St. Paul Packet.
CALEB COPE--Galena & St. Paul Packet Company; in St. Paul 1852.
CALEDONIA--In Galena trade, 1837.
CAMBRIDGE--At St. Paul 1857.
CANADA--Side-wheel, with double rudders; Northern Line Packet Co.,
Captain James Ward, 1857; 1858; 1859, as St. Louis and St. Paul
packet; Captain J. W. Parker, 1860, 1861, same trade; 1862, same
trade.
CARRIE--Stern-wheel; 267 tons; went into Missouri River trade and was
snagged two miles above Indian Mission, August 14, 1866; boat and
cargo total loss; boat valued at $20,000.
CARRIER--Side-wheel; 215 feet long, 33 feet beam; 267 tons; at St.
Paul 1856; snagged at head of Penn's Bend, Missouri River, Oct. 12,
1858; sank in five feet of water; boat valued at $30,000; was total
loss.
CASTLE GARDEN--At St. Paul 1858.
CAVALIER--At Galena April 9, 1836, for St. Louis; in Galena trade
1837.
CAZENOVIA--At St. Paul 1858.
CECILIA--Capt. Jos. Throckmorton, at St. Peters 1845. Bought by the
captain for Galena & St. Peters trade. Same trade 1846, regular.
CEYLON--Stern-wheel; at St. Paul 1858.
CHALLENGE--Built at Shousetown, Pa., 1854; 229 tons; at St. Paul 1858.
CHART--At St. Paul 1859.
CHAS. WILSON--At St. Paul 1859.
CHIPPEWA--(First)--Capt. Griffith, in Galena trade 1841; arrived at
Galena from St. Peters May 2, 1843.
CHIPPEWA--(Second)--Capt. Greenlee, from Pittsburg, at St. Paul,
1857; in Northwestern Line, Capt. W. H. Crapeta, St. Louis and St.
Paul trade 1858; 1859; burned fifteen miles below Poplar River, on
the Missouri, in May, 1861; fire discovered at supper time on a
Sunday evening; passengers put on shore and boat turned adrift, she
having a large amount of powder on board; boat drifted across the
river and there blew up; fire caused by deck hands going into hold
with lighted candle to steal whiskey. She was a stern-wheel, 160 feet
long, 30 feet beam.
CHIPPEWA FALLS--Captain L. Fulton, in Chippewa River trade, 1859;
stern-wheel.
CITY BELLE--Side-wheel; built at Murraysville, Pa., 1854; 216 tons;
Minnesota Packet Co., Galena & St. Paul trade 1856--Captain Kennedy