The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-12-26
Days When Rapid Pilots Of Unusual
Ability Were Much in Demand
In Steamboat
ing.
MEMORIES
RECALLS
Charles II. Patten Speaks in Burlins'
ton Paper of Rysone River
Days and Peo-
nie

Burlington Saturday Evening Post:
/ will tell your readers of The Post
plain narrative of my early recoliec-
ton of Old Montrose from lS49. MY
father the late Captain H. NJ. Patten,
moved his family from Keokuk TO
Monarose on the first day of May 1S49.
we left Keokuk on the morning OF
that date. and arrived at Montrose
Just before dusk of the evening Win
twc wagons loaded with household
goods, coming up through Muddy
Lane as it was called in those days,
and The roads were so bad that the
wagons would often mire down IN
the mud up to the hubs of the wagons
and fence rails were scattered along
the road where Other teams that hau
prcceeded us had used the rails TO
pry the wagons out of the mud. me
old Pink Road was built along that
lane in after years. Montrose was
only a small village; probably there
were $50 to 800 Inhabitants There
were two or three stores, two hotels,
ssThe Eagle and the Bowen House.
postoffice, distillery, cooper shop,
three or four places they called sa-
looms. but were nothing more than
doggeries all on the river front. There
were two blacksmith shops, think
and two warfboats, one belonging to
Henry Singer, the other to John La
Mott. Frenchman and there was
quite continent of French folks llV-
| ing there. Among the names now
recall to memory Lemanaux, Pro-
yost, La Mott, La Ront, John De
Lisle.
The warf boats did a good business
receiving freight from the steaboats,
and they both sold whiskey, tobacco,
and playing cards, which were always
1 in good demand. Mr.. Singer carried
/ a line of groceries and patent medis
cines in conjunction with whiskey,
rum and gin.
John La Motifs warfboat was the
/ hull of the old steamboat Osprey"
4 that at one time was the property of
i Joseph Smith. the Mormon prophet.
The boat Osprey was purchased
from Joe Smith by Captain Plen Al
word and presented to his brother-in-
4 law, John La Mott, they having MARI
led sisters, La Ront was their names.
/ half French and half Indian, coming
i from Prairie Du Chen, Wis. Captain
Alvord owned some very fine steam
boats on the upper river, one of which
was the "Grey Cloud as fine SIDE
wheel boat as ever was on the upper
river running from ST Louis to st.
Paul.
The Cred Cloud was laying at Mont
rose waiting for the lighters with
her upstream freight and deck pas
sengers, when Remy LIE Ront, the
brother-in-law of Capt. Alvord, took a
notion that he wanted to be the mate
of the Grey Cloud and after filling
up with fire water he got several
other men who had also filled up with
him to go down aboard the Grey Cloud
and demand the captain to give him
the mates berth.
Remey La Ront was a half breed,
and when in his sups was a terror to
everybody and when he and his asso.
ciates started down to the boat every
one standing in front of the saloons
thought there would be some blood
shed. But when the lighter arrived
having been towed up the Iowa shore
by teams. among the deck passengers
were several stout able bodied Ger.
mans. When Remey opened up the
| fuss on the lower deck those Ger.
man immigrants came to the rescue
of the officers of the boat and threw
Remey. and Doc Ruley overheard off
the forecastle and that ended the riot
and the boat proceeded on up the
river.
Remey La Ront was killed in No.
vember 1856, by a man who has since
died with the cholera. Nose Mullen
was his name He was cook on the
Clara Hine, had gone of to Sam VIII.
; liam's bakery and saloon to get a
; drink when La Ront came in. pulled
table leg from the card table and
struck Mr. Mullen over the head
Then Mullen went down aboard the
Clara Hine and came back with a
hash knife, stood aside of the door
on the outside Git was dark) and when
La Ront stepped out of the door Null.
len ran the knife clear through La
, Ronts body, Mullen making his es-
cape. La Ront lived only a few days
and everybody in Montrose breathed
free; the only ones to regret his
death were La Ronts relatives.
Mr.. Mullen afterwards became one
, of the first-class mates on the river
and was mate on the steamer Red
Wing when he died with the cholera
in 1878.
Captain Alvord built and ran severa