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For Wood and Water Steamboating on the Missouri River from Saint Louis to Fort Union, Dakota Territory 1841-1846 - by Mark H. Bettis
Troublesome Indians, celebrated passengers like naturalist John James Audubon, nosey whiskey inspectors, and the never-ending perils and problems of navigating the unpredictable Missouri River, were all part of an ordinary day for steamboat captains. For Wood and Water brings the world of early steamboat life into vivid reality and puts the reader into the pilothouse with Capt. Sire, as he takes the steamboats Trapper, Omega, Nimrod and General Brooke from St. Louis, Mo., to Fort Union, Dakota Territory, in the years 1841 through 1846.
This book will help the reader discover the day-to-day operation of a steamboat and the difficulties in navigating the wildly unpredictable Missouri River. Included in Capt. Sire’s journals are listings of the west-bound and east-bound cargoes, a listing of the supplies taken upriver by John James Audubon on the steamboat Omega in 1843, plus a mileage index. The Big Muddy was America’s highway to the West. All the journey required was incredible courage, determination, and hard work. “I’m a died-in-wool river rat, but until I read this book, I really had no idea what steamboating was like in the days of the wood burners. Mark Bettis has done a remarkable job of research. For Wood and Water gives us a highly accurate picture of how our country really opened up the West.” - Dorothy Heckmann Shrader, author and river rat. |