The pioneer-review. [volume] (Philip, Haakon County, S.D.) 1920-current, 1920-07-29
AN OLD STORY OF
SUNKEN TREASURE

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Ever since the Missouri river
from st. Louis to it's headwaters
became an abandoned commercial
highway which was when a rail
road first tapped the Missouri riv-
er at Pierre, stories have fioated
up and down the shores of that
venerable abode of sandbars, that
some time in the early Sos a
steamboat loaded with Kentucky
whiskey, which was consigned to
military posts and post traders in
the Indian country along the up
per Missouri, a steamboat. carry
ing full cargo of whiskey, had
sunk in the Missouri at some point
above ST. Joseph, Mo.
The story first located the point
MT which the boat sank as being
near Omaha Then, as civilization
demanded and moved upstream,
the story of the lost booze follow
ed civilization and the sinking
noint of the precious cargo, was
fixed near Sioux City, Iowa.
| Early Yanktonians have sworn
upon their solemn oath that the
lboat which carried the whiskey
sank, after hitting snag, just
Iopposite Yankton in the Big Mud
i dy, and so the story crept onward
! and inward aad was related as
part of Chamberlain early lore
the location of the boat which had
!. gone to the bottom with her hold
full of red liquor, being fixed as
. just off the river bank near Cham.
! berlain. Pierre next heard the
, yarn and the cargo of fire water
| rested undisturbed on the bottom
/, Iof the river near that point, ir
: the imagination of several gener
ations of people.
' Fort Pierre shared in the dis
| tinction conferred by the myth al
this time, and there were frequent
= discussions as to whether the sunk
: en- treasure lay nearer the Pierre
] or the Fort Pierre side Of the
J river. Each side of the river hae
: Its adherants, and there were those
) who supported the west side of thu
8 river who would point out to thu
| wayfaring stranger just where tn,
E old boat went down at q point OF
, a bee-line due east Of the FREQ
Rowe's hardware store.
( And now the story has reached
: Washington, ID. c., where a latte
: day newspaper man, of Sioux City
] who has been elevated to the pos
f of newspaper correspondent il
Washington, is relating the yari
Iof the sinking Of the wniskey la
den steamer, to the great men o.
the nation, who listen. it is pre-
$ sumed with eager ears and al
+ occasional heavy sigh.
e Fred Willard, once Sioux Cit,
!, newspaper man, now a resident o.
5 Chicago and detailed on newspape
!, duty in the national capital, i
i doing the relating of the fable
after this fashion:
81 The story is that of side
4 wheeler which steamed up tn,
n Missouri river from ST. Louis will
E a cargo Of 10000 gallons Of fin,
!. Kentucky bourbon aboard in Aug
5 Iust, 1856, and caught fire at Wray'
landing, about two miles south q
D what is now Council Bluffs, bu
v then known as Kanesville.
According to history, is seem
J. that the skipper in his frantic ef
+ forts to bring the Inflated vesse
!, to a safe landing ran her afoul d
D one Of the snags that abound Il
9 the Big Muddy and down she wen
! down in a bed Of quicksand o
depths unknown. D.
S " Although many of the earl,
e settlers and the oldest inhabitant
+ were still living in the communit,
!. they cleaned their information 8
n the unfortunate disastr' from
newspaper story published almos
!, half ! century after it occurred.