Ship Model, River Steamboat <I>Far West</I>
date: label: date made
content: 1977
label: collected
content: 1977-02-28
name: label: maker
content: John L. Fryant & Co.
notes: label: Description
content: The sternwheel river steamer <I>Far West</I> was built at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1870. Measuring 190’ long and 33’ in beam, the <I>West</I> needed only 20” of water to navigate when unloaded. In extreme shallow water, the two tall spars at the front of the boat could be lowered into the river bottom. With the aid of the capstan and engine power, the vessel could be lifted over sandbars or other obstructions, a bit or “hop” at a time. This practice was called “grasshoppering.”
label: Description
content: The <I>Far West</I> spent much of its early career chartered to the U. S. Army supplying remote Army outposts in Montana and the Dakota Territory during the Indian campaigns. In June 1876, Capt. Grant Marsh transported Gen. George Custer’s forces to the Little Big Horn. On June 30, the steamer received news of the Indian victory over Custer. It loaded wounded soldiers from another action and travelled 710 miles down the Missouri in only 54 hours to bring the wounded soldiers and the news of Custer’s loss to Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory. Nine days later, Capt. Marsh and the <I>Far West</I> steamed back to the Little Big Horn with horses and supplies for the soldiers there.
label: Description
content: The <I>Far West</I> hit a snag on the Missouri River near St. Charles, Mo., in October 1883 and was lost.
topic: label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Work
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content: Transportation
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content: On the Water exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.335811
label: catalog number
content: TR*335811
label: accession number
content: 1977.0629
objectType: label: Object Name
content: model, steamboat
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 in x 26 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in; 20.32 cm x 67.31 cm x 11.43 cm