Old Times on the Upper Mississippi
SANGAMON--Stern-wheel; built at New Albany, Ind., 1853; 86 tons;
Captain R. M. Spencer, at St. Paul 1854.
SARACEN--New 1856; built at New Albany, Ind., Captain H. B. Stran,
Clerk Casey, at St. Paul 1857.
SARAH ANN--Captain Lafferty, in Galena trade 1841; sunk, 1841, at
head of Island 500; raised; regular St. Louis & Galena packet.
SAXON--At St. Paul 1859.
SCIENCE--Running between St. Louis and Fort Winnebago, on the
Wisconsin (now Portage); made three trips to the Fort in 1837 with
troops and government supplies.
SCIOTA--Seventeenth steamboat to arrive at Fort Snelling prior to
1827.
SENATOR--At Galena, from St. Louis, April 20, 1847, first; Captain
E. M. McCoy; in Galena and upper river trade 1847; bought by Harris
Brothers 1848; Captain D. Smith Harris, in Galena & St. Peters trade
1848; arrived at Galena, from St. Peters April 13, reporting heavy
ice in Lake Pepin, but was able to get through; Captain Orren Smith,
1849, 1850, in Galena & St. Paul trade. She was the second boat owned
by the Minnesota Packet Company, the "Dr. Franklin" being the first.
SHENANDOAH--Made five trips to St. Paul, from St. Louis, in 1853;
same trade 1855; was in great ice gorge at St. Louis, February, 1856.
SILVER WAVE--Stern-wheel; built at Glasgow, Ohio, 1855; 245 tons; in
upper river trade 1856.
SKIPPER--At St. Paul 1857.
SMELTER--Captain D. Smith Harris, Engineer Scribe Harris, Galena &
St. Peters trade 1837; was one of the first boats on the upper river
to be built with a cabin answering to the "boiler deck" of modern
steamboats.
SNOW DROP--At St. Paul 1859.
STATESMAN--Built at Brownsville, Pa., 1851; 250 tons; at St. Paul
1855.
STELLA WHIPPLE--Stern-wheel; Captain Haycock, Minnesota River trade,
1861; built for the Chippewa River.
ST. ANTHONY--Side-wheel; 157 feet long, 24 feet beam, 5 feet hold;
30 staterooms; small boat, but highly finished and furnished for
that time; hull built by S. Speer, of Belle Vernon, Pa., engines by
Stackhouse & Nelson, of Pittsburg, modeled by Mr. King; Captain A. G.
Montford, in Galena & St. Peters trade 1846, regularly.
ST. CROIX--Side-wheel; built by Hiram Bersie, William Cupps, James
Ryan and James Ward; Captain Hiram Bersie, Mate James Ward, 1844, in
St. Louis, Galena & St. Peters trade; in collision with "Mermaid",
near Quincy, April 11, 1845, losing her barge; damaged by fire May
13, 1845; in upper river trade 1845, 1846, 1847, Captain Bersie,
master.
ST. LOUIS--Stern-wheel; built at Brownsville, Pa., 1855; 192 tons; at
St. Paul 1856, 1859.
ST. LOUIS OAK--Side-wheel; Captain Coones, St. Louis, Galena &
Dubuque trade 1845; snagged and lost at head of Howard's Bend,
Missouri River, 1847, Captain Dozier in command.
ST. PAUL--Side-wheel; built at Wheeling, Va., 1852, for Harris Bros.,
Galena, Ill.; 1852, Captain M. K. Harris, in Galena & St. Paul trade;
was very slow, and drew too much water for upper river trade; 1854,
Captain Bissell, at St. Paul for St. Louis; at St. Paul 1855.
ST. PETERS--(First)--Captain Joseph Throckmorton, at St. Peters
and Fort Snelling July 2, 1836; brought as one of her passengers
Nicollet, who came to explore the Northwest Territory.
ST. PETERS--(Second)--Built and owned by Captain James Ward (formerly
mate of the "St. Croix"), who commanded her; burned at St. Louis May
17, 1849; valued at $2,000.
SUCKER STATE--Side-wheel; in Northern Line; Captain Thos. B. Rhodes,
in St. Louis & St. Paul Line, 1859, 1860, 1861; Captain James Ward,
in same line, 1862; was burned at Alton Slough, together with three
or four other boats, while lying in winter quarters.
SUTLER--Captain D. Smith Harris, prior to 1850.
TEMPEST--(First)--Regular St. Louis, Galena, Dubuque & Potosi packet;
at Galena April 11, 1846, Captain John Smith.
TEMPEST--(Second)--Side-wheel; went into Missouri River trade and was
snagged and lost about 1865, at Upper Bonhomme Island.
THOS. SCOTT--Large side-wheel; at St. Paul, from St. Louis, 1856.
TIGER--Had engines of old "Otter"; Captain Maxwell, in St. Paul trade
1850; same captain, in Minnesota River trade 1851, 1852; 104 tons, 52
horse power; very slow.
TIGRESS--Large stern-wheel; 356 tons; Ohio River towboat; powerful
engines and very fast; at St. Paul 1858; sunk by Confederate
batteries at Vicksburg 1863.
TIME--At Galena May 15, 1845; regular St. Louis & Galena packet; at
Galena April 11, 1846, from St. Louis, Captain Wm. H. Hooker, in
regular trade; snagged and sunk one-half mile below Pontoosuc, Ia.,
August, 1846.
TIME AND TIDE--(First)--Captain D. Smith Harris, Keeler Harris,
engineer, brought excursion party to Fort Snelling, in company with
steamer "Light Foot", in 1845; at Galena April 13, 1847, E. W. Gould,
master, in regular St. Louis, Galena & St. Peters trade.
TIME AND TIDE--(Second)--Stern-wheel; built at Freedom, Pa., 1853;
131 tons; Captain Louis Robert, at St. Paul 1855, 1856; same captain,
in Minnesota River trade 1857, 1858; Captain Nelson Robert, same
trade 1859.
TISHOMINGO--Side-wheel; built at New Albany, Ind., 1852; 188 tons;
very fast boat; bought by one Johnson, of Winona, Minn., from lower
river parties, to run in opposition to Minnesota Packet Company;
was in St. Paul trade 1856, but lost money and was sold for debt at
Galena in winter of 1856; bought for $25,000 by Captain Sargent;
reported as having left St. Louis April 14, 1857, Jenks, master, for
St. Paul with 465 cabin passengers and 93 deck passengers, besides a
full cargo of freight, worth to the boat about $14,000.
TUNIS--At St. Paul 1857.
TWIN CITY--Side-wheel; built at California, Pa., 1853; 170 tons; in
St. Paul trade 1855; burned at St. Louis Dec. 7, 1855.
UNCLE TOBY--Captain Geo. B. Cole, at St. Peters, from St. Louis,
1845; at Galena April 9, 1846, from St. Louis Captain Geo. B. Cole;
regular St. Louis, Galena & Dubuque packet for season; 1847, Captain
Henry R. Day, regular St. Louis & St. Peters packet; in same trade
1851; arrived at Point Douglass, Minn., Nov. 20, 1851, and there
unloaded and had freight hauled by team to St. Paul on account of
floating ice; put back from Point Douglass to St. Louis.
U. S. MAIL--At St. Paul 1855.
VALLEY FORGE--Advertised a pleasure trip from Galena to St. Peters,
1840.
VERSAILLES--Arrived at Fort Snelling May 12, 1832, from Galena.
VIENNA--Stern-wheel; built at Monongahela, Pa., 1853; 170 tons; in
St. Louis & St. Paul trade 1855, 1856.
VIOLET--At St. Paul 1856.
VIRGINIA--At St. Louis April, 1823, with government stores for Fort
Snelling, John Shellcross, master; arrived at Fort May 10, 1823;
built at Pittsburg; 118 feet long, 22 feet beam, 160 tons.
VIXEN--Stern-wheel; built at St. Paul; from Pittsburg, 1857, 1858,
1859.
VOLANT--Thirteenth steamboat to arrive at Fort Snelling, prior to
1827.
W. G. WOODSIDE--Built at Moundsville, Va., 1855; 197 tons; at St.
Paul 1856.
W. H. DENNY--Side-wheel; built at California, Pa., 1855; 276 tons;
Captain Lyons, at St. Paul from St. Louis, 1857; sunk opposite head
of Fabius Island 1857.
WM. L. EWING--Large side-wheel; Captain Smith, St. Louis & St. Paul,
1857; in Northwestern Line, Captain Green, 1858; same 1859; Northern
Line 1860, 1861, Captain J. H. Rhodes, St. Louis & St. Paul.
W. S. NELSON--Captain Jameson, at St. Paul 1857; at St. Paul 1859.
WAR EAGLE--(First)--Built by Harris Brothers for Galena & St. Peters
trade in 1845; 156 tons burden; commanded by Captain D. Smith Harris,
Scribe Harris, engineer; in Galena & St. Peters trade 1845, 1846,
1847; St. Louis & St. Peters 1848; in 1848 Harris Bros. sold her and
bought the "Senator", in order to get a faster boat.
WAR EAGLE--(Second)--Built at Cincinnati, winter of 1853-4;
side-wheel; 219 feet long, 29 feet beam, 296 tons; had 46 staterooms;
3 boilers, 14 feet long; in Minnesota Packet Company, Captain D.
Smith Harris, Galena & St. Paul, 1854, 1855, 1856; made the run from
Galena to St. Paul, 1855, in 44 hours, handling all way freight;
1857, Captain Kingman, Clerks Coffin and Ball, in Dunleith & St. Paul
Line; Captain W. H. Gabbert, 1858, same line; La Crosse Line 1859;
Captain J. B. Davis, 1860, in La Crosse Line; spring of 1861 started
out from La Crosse with following roster of officers: Captain A.
Mitchell, Clerk Sam Cook, Second Clerk E. A. Johnson, Pilots Jackson
Harris, and William Fisher; Engineers Troxell and Wright; Steward
Frank Norris; later in the season Captain Mitchell was succeeded by
Captain Chas. L. Stephenson and ran in Dunleith Line; June 22, 1861,
left St. Paul with five companies of the First Minnesota Infantry
Volunteers, the "Northern Belle" having the other five companies,
which were landed at La Crosse and transferred to the railroad for
transportation to Washington; 1862, in Dunleith Line, Captain N. F.
Webb; in St. Paul trade 1862, 1863; Thomas Cushing, master in latter
year; burnt, La Crosse (year not learned).
WARRIOR--Built in 1832 by Captain Joseph Throckmorton, for upper
river trade; took part in the battle of Bad Axe, where the Indians
under Blackhawk were defeated and dispersed, Captain Throckmorton in
command of boat, E. H. Gleim, clerk, William White, pilot; arrived
at Fort Snelling on first trip of the season, June 24, 1835, having
among her passengers General Geo. W. Jones, U. S. A., Captain Day and
Lieut. Beech, U. S. A., and Catlin, the artist, on his way to study
the Indians of the northwest; at Fort again July 16, 1835; at Galena
advertised for Pittsburg, Nov. 7, 1835; in Galena & St. Peters trade
1836.
WAVE--Small stern-wheel; Captain Maxwell, in Minnesota River trade,
1857, 1858. At Galena, from St. Louis, 1845. (Possibly another boat.)
WENONA--Stern-wheel; built at Belle Vernon, Pa., 1855; 171 tons;
Captain L. Brown, in Minnesota River trade; also in St. Croix River
trade for a time; at St. Paul 1859.
WEST NEWTON--Captain D. Smith Harris, 1852, in Galena & St. Paul
trade; first boat at St. Paul 1853, Captain Harris; made 27 trips
between Galena and St. Paul 1853; sunk at foot of West Newton Chute,
below Alma, in Sept., 1853.
WHITE BLUFF--At St. Paul 1856.
WHITE CLOUD--(First)--Burnt at St. Louis May 17, 1849.
WHITE CLOUD--(Second)--Side-wheel; very fast; had double rudders;
Captain Alford, from St. Louis at St. Paul, 1857; sunk at St. Louis,
Feb. 13, 1867, by ice; total loss.
WINNEBAGO--Built 1830, by Captain George W. Atchison and Captain
Joseph Throckmorton; in Galena & St. Louis trade, Jos. Throckmorton,
master; also visited Fort Snelling with government stores.
WINONA--Side-wheel; Captain J. R. Hatcher, Davidson Line, La Crosse &
St. Paul, 1861.
WIOTA--New 1845; built and owned by Captain R. A. Reilly, Corwith
Bros., and Wm. Hempstead, of Galena; side-wheel, 180 feet long,
24 feet beam, 5 feet hold; double engines, 18 inch diameter, 7
feet stroke, 3 boilers, wheels 22 feet diameter, 10 feet buckets;
gangway to boiler deck in front, instead of on the side as had been
customary; in St. Louis & Galena trade, R. A. Reilly, master.
WISCONSIN--Captain Flaherty, at Galena, for St. Louis, April 9, 1836.
WYANDOTTE--Captain Pierce, Dubuque & St. Paul Line, 1856.
WYOMING--In Galena & St. Louis trade 1837.
YANKEE--Stern-wheel, 145 feet long, 200 tons burden, at St. Paul
Sept. 27, 1849; August 1, 1850, started on trip of 300 miles up the
Minnesota River with a party of ladies and gentlemen, on an exploring
expedition; Captain M. K. Harris, Clerk G. R. Girdon, Pilot J. S.
Armstrong, Engineers G. W. Scott and G. L. Sargent; reached a point
many miles further up the river than had heretofore been reached by
steamboats; at St. Paul June 26, 1851, Captain Orren Smith.
YORK STATE--Side-wheel; built at Brownsville, Pa., 1852; 247 tons;
Captain Griffiths, in St. Louis & St. Paul trade 1855; at St. Paul
1856--Captain James Ward, who also owned her.