In the early 1830s, a new method of transportation reached North Dakota. It could carry more cargo, go upstream easier, travel longer distances, and go much faster than a keelboat. This fantastic new form of transportation on the Upper Missouri was the steamboat.
A steamboat called the Yellowston• First steamboat to travel on the Missouri River in 1832
• Sailed from St. Louis to Fort Union steamed up the Missouri River and reached Fort Union in 1832. After its cargo was unloaded, it was then loaded with furs for its trip back downstream. The next year, the Yellowstone was joined by another steamboat, the Assiniboine. Soon, steamboat traffic on the Upper Missouri was a common sight. Steamboats, like keelboats, could not travel up and down the Missouri River in the winter, so during the summers, each boat would try to make as many trips as possible before the river froze over.
Steamboats brought many visitors up the Missouri River to the forts. George Catlin,• Artist who became famous for his drawings and paintings of American Indians from several different tribes
• Visited Fort Clark and Fort Union an artist, came to Fort Clark and Fort Union aboard the Yellowstone. He reported that Fort Union was the largest and best-built fort on the river. Catlin became famous for his drawings and paintings of Indians from several different tribes. One of his subjects in 1832 was Four Bears, the Mandan chief. Hundreds of Catlin’s drawings and paintings of American Indians are now on display at the American Art Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Figure 64. The Rosebud was one of the steamboats used on the Missouri River. (SHSND C0634)
Figure 65. John James Audubon is known for his paintings of birds.(National Park Service)
Another visitor at Fort Clark and Fort Union was a German scientist named Prince Maximilian.• German scientist who studied and wrote reports on the customs of different American Indian tribes
• Wrote reports about animals, plants, minerals, and other things of nature in the Upper Missouri area
• Brought artist Karl Bodmer along
• Visited Fort Clark and Fort Union Maximilian wrote in his journal about the customs of different Indian tribes. He also studied and wrote reports about animals, plants, minerals, and other things of nature in the Upper Missouri area.
In order to help him record his findings, Maximilian brought an artist along by the name of Karl Bodmer.• Artist who came to Fort Union and Fort Clark with Prince Maximilian
• Painted over 400 watercolors of people and scenes of the Upper Missouri Bodmer painted portraits of Indians, and he also painted landscapes. By the time Maximilian and Bodmer went back to Europe, Bodmer had painted over 400 watercolors of people and scenes of the Upper Missouri.
Another visitor at Fort Union was a man whose goal was to draw or paint all of the birds and animals on the continent of North America. John James Audubon• Spent a few months at Fort Union, studying and drawing birds and mammals
• Identified 11 new species of birds in the Upper Missouri area
• Became famous for the book, Birds of America
• Lake Audubon in McLean County is named after him spent a few months at Fort Union, studying and drawing both birds and mammals. His life-size bird pictures were very detailed and looked almost like photographs. His journals contained facts and stories about wildlife. During the time that Audubon stayed at Fort Union, he identified 11 new species of birds that scientists had never seen before. Audubon became famous for his book, Birds of America. Lake Audubon in McLean County, North Dakota, was named after this famous artist and wildlife expert.
The arrival of a steamboat was an exciting time at the forts. The big guns in the blockhouses would boom out a welcome which would be answered by guns on the boat. The men in the forts would eagerly wait for letters from home, news from the outside world, supplies, and articles for trade.
FAQs
In the early 1830s, a new method of transportation reached North Dakota. It could carry more cargo, go upstream easier, travel longer distances, and go much faster than a keelboat. This fantastic new form of transportation on the Upper Missouri was the steamboat.
How far did steamboats go up the Missouri River? ›
In 1819, steamboats left St. Louis bound for the mouth of the Yellowstone River. The waters of the Missouri River, however, proved to be too rough. Of the four in the fleet of steamboats, only one made it as far as the fort at Council Bluffs in Nebraska.
How many steamboats made it to Fort Benton? ›
Of the 23 steamboats that departed St. Louis bound for Fort Benton, just three would land at the Benton levee—five counting the three trips by Deer Lodge. Sixteen steamers would be forced to off-load cargo and passengers downriver, with seven of these reaching the Marias landing.
What boat sank in the Missouri River? ›
The Arabia is a side wheeler steamboat that sank in the Missouri River, on September 5, 1856, when it was gored upon a submerged tree snag. It was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of local researchers in what became Kansas City, Kansas. Its recovered artifacts are housed in the Arabia Steamboat Museum.
Can you take boats on the Missouri River? ›
Please use caution when boating on the river and keep safety in m ind at all times. When Lewis and Clark traveled the river in 1804 they left no trace of their passage. We hope that all river users will respect the environment and “Leave no trace”.
What is the largest river steamboat ever built? ›
The largest steamboat ever built, the grand American Queen is a graceful and elegant triumph of American ingenuity.
How long did it take a steamboat to go from New Orleans to St. Louis? ›
Both boats left the docks of New Orleans on June 30, 1870 to prove which was the fastest steamboat on the Mississippi River. The Robert E. Lee ultimately won the race by arriving in St. Louis with a then-staggeringly fast time of three days, eighteen hours and thirty minutes.
What is the bloodiest block in the West? ›
Fort Benton is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, because of the importance it played as the head of navigation on the Missouri River and the opening of the northwest and western Canada. Walk along the steamboat levee and the part of the town once known as the bloodiest block in the West.
What is the oldest town in Montana? ›
Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Established in 1846, Fort Benton is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Montana.
How many steamboats still exist? ›
Only five genuine river steamboats still exist. They serve the public as excursion or tourist boats on the Mississippi River system. They are the sole remnant of the fleet of more than 9,000 boats that once navigated those rivers. (See also famous ships; Mississippi River; ship and shipping; steam engine.)
The first steamboat up the Missouri River, the INDEPENDENCE, ran from St. Louis to the vicinity of the Chariton River as early as 1819. The second boat up the river was the WESTERN ENGINEER, which made it almost up to the Yellowstone River – a journey of almost 3 months, one way.
What boat sunk in Branson? ›
Seventeen people died on July 19, 2018, when a Branson Ride The Ducks tourist boat sank with 31 people aboard due to being on Table Rock Lake during a severe thunderstorm. The incident captured national interest as the death count rose and the boat was brought back to the surface.
What was the worst riverboat disasters? ›
Sultana was a commercial side-wheel steamboat which exploded and sank on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865, killing 1,167 people in what remains the worst maritime disaster in United States history.
Can you drink beer on a boat in Missouri? ›
It is not illegal in Missouri to drink while you are fishing or cruising the water, but it is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
How deep is the Missouri River? ›
The actual depth of the river channel typically ranges from 10-20 feet, with sharply decreasing depth outside of the channel.
How far did steamboats go up to Colorado River? ›
Steamboats on the Colorado River operated from the river mouth at the Colorado River Delta on the Gulf of California in Mexico, up to the Virgin River on the Lower Colorado River Valley in the Southwestern United States from 1852 until 1916.
How far do barges go up the Missouri River? ›
Navigation on the Missouri River occurs from Sioux City to the mouth at St. Louis, a distance of 734 miles. In 1994, commercial barge traffic on the river was 1.5 million tons.
Why was traveling up the Missouri River so difficult? ›
Travel up the Missouri River was difficult and exhausting due to heat, injuries, insects, and the troublesome river itself, with its strong current and many snags. The expedition used a keelboat and two small boats called pirogues to carry their supplies and equipment, averaging 15 miles per day.
How many miles a day did the expedition travel going up the Missouri River? ›
On May 14, 1804, Clark and the Corps joined Lewis in St. Charles, Missouri and headed upstream on the Missouri River in the keelboat and two smaller boats at a rate of about 15 miles per day.
