Thomas Leathers News - The Waterways Journal

Steamboat Race Sesquicentennial

Old Boat Column

Steamboat Race Sesquicentennial

July 6, 2020

There was grand excitement along the St. Louis levee 150 years ago when the steamer Rob’t. E. Lee triumphantly arrived on July 4, 1870, hours ahead of the Natchez… Read More

The Steamer Belle Lee The Belle Lee underway with a large cargo. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Steamer Belle Lee

May 26, 2020

Built in 1868 by the Barmore yard at Jeffersonville, Ind., the Belle Lee was a palatial packet. The wooden hull was 291 feet in length by 42.4 feet in… Read More