Description
Book Synopsis The steamboat evokes images of leisurely travel, genteel gambling, and lively commerce, but behind the romanticized view is an engineering marvel that led the way for the steam locomotive. From the steamboat''s development by Robert Fulton to the dawn of the Civil War, the new mode of transportation opened up America''s frontiers and created new trade routes and economic centers.
Firsthand accounts of steamboat accidents, races, business records and river improvements are collected here to reveal the culture and economy of the early to mid-1800s, as well as the daily routines of crew and passengers. A glossary of steamboat terms and a collection of contemporary accounts of accidents round out this history of the riverboat era.
Trade ReviewColorful, anecdotal, and interesting...recommended." -
Choice"Fascinating details...the book is a good one and well worth owning." -
SpeedReadersTable of Contents
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Acknowledgments vi
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Preface 1
- 1. The "Invention of the Devil" 5
- 2. Keelboats and Barges: The "Arks" of the New World 16
- 3. Onward to the "Father of Waters": The Fulton-Livingston Patent 22
- 4. The Meschasipi—Or Is That the "Mississipi"? 29
- 5. "St. Looy" and the Upper Mississippi 41
- 6. A World Unto Their Own: The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers 58
- 7. Navigating the Inland Western Waterways 72
- 8. The Trades and the Trade-Offs 77
- 9. Economic Conditions During the Steamboat Era 88
- 10. Making Money on the Rivers 100
- 11. Man Overboard! Steamboat Disasters on Western Waterways 116
- 12. The Steamboat Race Is On! 137
- 13. The Development of Steamboat Crews 145
- 14. Deckhands: A Distinctive Class of Casual Workers 167
- 15. Steamboat Gothic: The Florid and the Ornate 177
- 16. "My satisfaction was complete": First-Class Passengers 186
- 17. Steamboat Diversions 197
- 18. "Just the bar' necessities, ma'am" 206
- 19. The Nameless Masses: Deck Passengers 217
- 20. An International Incident 223
- 21. Potions, Purging and Practitioners 230
- 22. (In)Famous Steamboat Cities 245
- 23. The Roaring '50s: The Railroads Come Calling 259
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Appendix A: Glossary 265
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Appendix B: Original Accounts of Steamboat Disasters 277
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Chapter Notes 289
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Bibliography 293
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Index 297
