The first steamboat to sail on the Missouri River departed port in St. Louis on this date bound for what is now Omaha, Nebraska.
Steamboats
The side-wheeler Mary McDonald was tied up at Gilham’s Landing when she caught fire and was destroyed.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways (NSR) was created by an Act of Congress on August 27, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. Ozark NSR was the nation’s first “scenic riverways”—preceding the Wild and Scenic River Act by four years. President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law and Ozark NSR became …
A very unusual steamboat arrived in St. Louis on this day in 1918. Called “Long’s Dragon,” in reference to explorer Steven Long, the Western Engineer was built to travel up the Missouri. It was shaped and painted to resemble a huge serpent. This gave the steamboat a unique way to announce its presence, since the …
This date in Missouri history: The steamboat Alice Gray exploded her boiler and sank at Rocheport.
The Nation’s worst maritime disaster happened on the Mississippi a fair piece south of Cape Girardeau.
The first steamboat on the Missouri River arrived at Franklin. Most riverboats could not traverse the Missouri because of the strong current and the extreme number of submerged snags.
The famous steamboat race between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee began in New Orleans on this date, at 5 PM. It was a 1200 mile upstream race to St. Louis, and the record of 3 days, 18 hours, and about 20 minutes still stands for commercial boats.
The steamboat Arabia sank at Westport Landing. It has been raised and is now a wonderful museum.
