As with prior years, with the approach of the Inland Marine Expo (IMX) to be held at Nashville May 27-29, 2026, the Old Boat column will feature boats built… Read More
Old Boat Column
A look back into the rich history of the inland waterways transportation industry. From the earliest steam paddlewheelers to the grand sternwheel and sidewheel packets, and the eventual transition from steam to diesel, you’ll find fascinating stories and photos of a different steamboat every week.
In the March 23, 2022, issue of The Waterways Journal, we looked at the Pioneer, built by Dravo in 1934 and retrofitted with the first installation of the kort… Read More
Mid-to-late April 1865 was full of news. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the hunt for and eventual killing of his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was ongoing, and the Civil… Read More
A piece by David Murray in the March 26 issue of The Waterways Journal told of a large-scale model of the excursion boat Admiral on exhibit at the National… Read More
The last column was inspired by a near century old pay ledger that had been repurposed into a scrapbook by riverman Palmer Fisher, a friend of many years to… Read More
Richard Dale James, formerly of Baden, Ohio, near Gallipolis, and now a resident of Wyandotte, Okla., was in the area recently to visit his parents. During his stay a… Read More
The previous Old Boat Column detailed the final steam sternwheel towboat in regular service on the Mississippi River system, the steamer Lone Star. That wooden vessel was built by the… Read More
The Old Boat Column tends to detail a lot of vessels that became “firsts” of their kind, but, for a change, the next two weeks it will look at two… Read More
The boats featured in this column today are somewhat special to this writer. The Mark M was the first towboat I ever set foot on, and I spent much time… Read More
The giant agricultural concern known as Cargill Inc. began in 1865 when William Wallace (W.W.) Cargill purchased his first grain storage facility in… Read More
