Letter: Remembering The Lone Star And The Kahlke Brothers
In reading about the Lone Star and Kahlke brothers, I am reminded of my visit to what was the remains of the Kahlke brothers’ boat yard back in the 1980s. There is another part of the Kahlke Yard’s story to tell. In 1935, the Kahlkes bought a sternwheel steam towboat named the Pearl, which had been built in my hometown of Keokuk, Iowa, and was one of 10 small sternwheel towboats designed by Montgomery Meigs to be used to tow barges of riprap, willow mats, dipper dredges and quarter boats.
The Pearl was built in 1897 on a hull measuring 79.3 feet by 16 feet by 3.7 feet with high pressure engines, 10’s with a 4-foot stroke. I seem to recall the engines were made by the Clinton Novelty Iron Works of Clinton, Iowa. In 1909, the Pearl had its hull redone, making it 85.1 feet by 18 feet by 4.1 feet. It was given another change when Kahlke bought it, making it 91 by 19 by 2.8 feet. The Pearl operated up until around 1948.
In 1951, sitting idle in the boat yard, the Pearl sank. When I was there looking around, what really caught my eye and made my heart skip a beat was seeing the tops of the valve gear. Here I was, seeing the high-pressure engines from the Pearl.
At that time, the property where the Kahlke Yard had been located was owned by Alter and/or ADM. I had been in contact with them, explaining that I wanted to see about salvaging the engines from the Pearl. They agreed, as long as any silt, mud, etc., was all put back, and the forebay was left the way we found it. I made a few calls to my good friend and long-time captain, William L. “Bill” Foley of Andelusia, Ill., who wanted to help out and also had a well-known friend and salvager, Virgil A. Coonrod. We’d met Virgil at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, at Old Threshers. Virgil was a great help and contributed a great deal to helping in operations at Mt. Pleasant.
Long and sad story short, we were never able to retrieve the engines from the Pearl, and I often wonder if they are still buried there, never to be seen again. To this day, at 65 years of age, I can still see those engines.
Lastly, I wanted to add that I used to love watching the regular 8mm movies my dad had from when he made some trips on the towboat Laguna with his good friend Capt. Charlie Fehlig. Dad got footage of the Lone Star southbound below Bettendorf, Iowa., rolling a “wicked wheel,” with steam escaping out the pipes. I am glad to say the Lone Star is still at Le Claire, Iowa. I remember it sitting on the bank from 1968 until around 2009, when the Buffalo Bill Museum raised $980,000 to have this historic gem enclosed from the elements.
-John R. Miller
Featured image caption: Capt. Mark Ragsdale and Mabel Bartenhagen stand aboard the Lone Star at the Kahlke Boat Yard. (From the Murphy Library Collection)
