The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-29
SOME OF THE BOATS WHICH
Piled ON UPPER MISSOURI

S~teamboating on the upper Mis-
souri, river has been a thing of the
past for many years. 1t always wa.
hazardous but in the early days, be
cause it was the only avenue to the
northwest, it was a profitable bust
ness despite the danger and expense
The advent of railroads caused traf-
fic on the Big Muddy to dwindle and
during the late years of its continu-
ance it amounted to little. Still for
a long period toward the latter COS
the government made large appro-
priations for the river and an in
spector's office was maintained at
Sioux City. Even in the two decades
a number of trips up the river, even
to Fort Benton, were made by the
government snag boats.
Nearly 20 years ago, in comment
ing upon the discontinuance by con-
gress of appropriations for the Mis-
souri, the Sioux City Times carried an
article in which it reviewed the old
river days on the Big Muddy as fol-
lows:
The disposition of congress to dis
continue appropriations for main
tanning navigation on the Missouri
river shown in the action of congress
just adjourned, recalls to the minds
of Sioux Cityans, and particularly the
old steamboat men, the happy days
when the Missouri boosted as many
navigable stream in the land.
There we're side wheel and stern
wheel and center wheel steamers, and
some of them were veritable, float
ing palaces. This transportation in
dustry on the Missouri river existed
in the days before the railroad reach
ed all the important river towns and
cities and rich farming communities
AS railroad building advanced in
the west, the steamboat business de-
clined, until today transportation has
so dwindled that congress has much
reduced the appropriations which
have been made from year to year
for the maintenance of navigation
end the protection of the banks.
Missouri river steamboat owners
have always labored under diff
ficulties than those of most other
streams, because of the peculiar con-
ditions which exist on the Missouri.
The shifting nature of the channel,
the swift current, the quickly form
ing bars and the numerous obstruc-
lions due to caving banks which car
ry timber into the stream, all con-
duced to making navigation more ha-
zardous than perhaps any other
stream in the world. The river is
also more crooked than ordinary
rivers, making distances greater, A
scarcity of fuel along the stream is
another drawback that the old time
mariners had to meet.
John H. Charles of Sioux City has |
seen eight and ten steamers landed
at Sioux City at one time. Charles
made his first trip up the Missouri
in 1850. I
He has always taken an active in
terest in Missouri river transporta-
ton and has owned steamboat prop
critics since the early sixties. He
and a partner, A. H. Wilder, of st.
Paul, sold out a stock of half a
dozen steamboats, to Durfee & Peck,
fur traders, and in 1879 Charles
helped to organize the Benton Trans
portation company. At n time it
owned eight or 10 steamers, but
now it has but two small freighters
plying the upper Missouri. It's Off
,ers have remained the same as orr
organized. They are: T. G.
Power, president; John w. Power,
7ice president; J. H. Mcknight,
John H. Clark, secretary;
ind Isaac p. Baker, superintendent
The latter lives at Bismarck, N. D.,
Ind the Powers live in Montana.
They had the steamers Benton,
Helena, Rosebud and M other when
hey started but gradually acquired
more. The trade was between Sioux
Jity and Fort Benton, a distance of
500 miles. Durfee & Peck owned
he G. w. Meade, Pennah, Silver
lake and others, and the Missouri
river Transfer company owned many
,oats. There were besides hundreds s
# individual boats in the river. One
,reat business of the boats was car
ying mining supplies to Montana, be- ]
ore the Union Pacific was complet- s
d to Council Bluffs, which inter
epted the supplies there coming {
the east by rail. {
There are but few of the old !
teamboat men left in Sioux City !
Tho were in active service on the Mis- ]
ouri in early days. One of these is !