Misfortune paid its respects to Capt Thomas Poe many times and often far from home.  On 11 May 1855  the str Georgetown was fatally snagged at Bellefontaine Bluffs on the Missouri in route to a military post.  The  str Georgetown  was owned by Thomas W Poe and other partners from Georgetown, PA.  He was the principle owner of the str Clara Poe which was burned during the Civil War by rebel forces on 17 Apr 1865 at Eddyville on the Cumberland River.  He also owned the str Amelia Poe which was a complete loss when snagged on the upper Missouri river on 24 May 1868 and salvaged by 1,500 riotous Indians.  And he was the master of the str  Nick Wall which met a tragic end on the Mississippi River near Napoleon, AK on 18 Dec 1870.

Here a grisly incident occurred that Mark Twain retold, with some literary trimmings, in “Life on the Mississippi”.  The str  Nick Wall struck a snag and sunk rapidly.  Though injured himself by a falling roof, Capt Thomas W Poe attempted to save his wife trapped in a stateroom.  Things did not look good in the Poe stateroom.  Capt Poe chopped a hole in the roof with an ax striking the unfortunate Martha Jane (Troxell) Poe in the head.  Martha Jane Poe, fatally wounded, died on shore as the result of exposure and injuries, and was returned to Georgetown for burial.  Thirty-nine lives were lost in the tragedy  including Capt Poe’s wife.  His sister’s youngest son aged seventeen, his nephew Charles McClure, also drowned.

Then on 17 Oct 1873, a boiler explosion on the str Mary E Poe caused a fire and the boat was intentionally run aground near Island 26 above Osceola, AK.  An armed swarm of TN natives drove away the mate left behind to guard the wreck.  By the time the salvage team arrived most of the cargo had been pilfered.

Eight years later,Capt Thomas W Poe took ill aboard the str Fearless on his way to Pittsburgh.  He died at the US Marine Hospital near Louisville.  Eight months later on 26 Aug 1882 that steamer sunk on the lower Missouri.  After five litigious years the legal case regarding the property loss was finally decided by the Supreme Court of Missouri in Oct 1887 ―  not in favor of the Thomas Poe heirs.  Aligned with the other disasters, the verdict feels perfectly appropriate.   The dotted “i” and crossed “t” of misfortune.

 

Capt Thomas Washington Poe was born in 1819 in New Lisbon, Columbiana Co, OH.  He was the fourth son of Thomas Washington Poe Sr and Elizabeth Hephner and the grandson of the famous frontiersman Adam Poe.  He died on 31 Dec 1881.  At that time he lived in St Louis, MO near his daughter Clara Poe Blythe (Bly).  A leading citizen of Georgetown, PA for more than fifty years, Capt Thomas Poe was buried in the Georgetown Cemetery between his wives, Phoebe Kinsey and Martha Jane.  If there is something called a “night shade” hovering over any stone in the Georgetown Cemetery, it would certainly be the spirit of Capt Thomas Washington Poe for good reason.

 

Many Ohio River steamboat captains were easily his equal – but Capt Thomas W Poe has a story, a special story to tell river historians and enthusiasts.  Spanning more than forty years, his career as a steamer captain and owner of numerous packets enjoyed the rise of steamboat commerce and suffered its decline.  During the golden age of steamboats, he steamed on all the inland river systems: the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Monongahela, Allegheny, Tennessee, Cumberland, Wabash, Kanawha, Muskingum, Red, and other tributaries.  He traveled far, saw much, and accumulated considerable wealth.  Like his brother Jacob, he was recognized as a generous leader of his community.

 

 

Family Background.  The story of the Georgetown Poe family begins with the emigration of George Jacob Poe from the Palatine Region of the Rhine River to the Maryland countryside near Frederick about 1741.   In the 1760′s, two of his sons, Andrew and Adam, left MD across the newly constructed Cumberland Road to western PA near Georgetown along the

Ohio River.  The two brothers attained fame for their Revolutionary War service and their frontier battles with the Indians. In 1823 Adam’s son Thomas Washington Poe Sr moved his family of six to Georgetown, PA.  There Thomas Washington Poe Sr built a log home on the property where “The Poe House” still stands.

 

His family grew to ten.  With his young sons as deckhands, Thomas entered the profitable river freight business.  The business grew from rafting logs to Wheeling to keelboating coal and grain to ports as far south as Cincinnati.  All of the children of Thomas Washington Sr and Elizabeth Hephner Poe worked the rivers.  Sons, Andrew, Jacob, Adam, Thomas Washington, and George W, became steamboat captains and pilots.  Their daughters’ lives also centered around the river.  Nancy Ann married Capt George W Ebert; Elizabeth married Capt Standish Peppard; and Sarah H married Capt George Groshorn Calhoon.  The Poes were representative of many emigrant families who became wealthy and attained prominence over several generations despite starting with little more than energy and pluck.  In this, they were greatly assisted by the conditions of the day – an expanding country and a tight circle of Georgetown families.  Calhoon, Ebert, Kinsey, Laughlin, Parr, Poe, and Stockdale are Georgetown surnames entwined with the river and each other.

 

Capt Thomas W Poe  married Phoebe Kinsey.  They had four children: Clarissa J for whom the str Clarra Poe was named, John W who became a clerk on various Poe steamboats.  The documentary trail of Thomas  is meager.   Charles F is quite possibly the father of Ebert L (Big Wamp) Poe and the grandfather of Edger Allen (Little Wamp) Poe.  Big and Little Wamp were steamboat men on the upper Mississippi River.

After Phoebe died on 28 Jun 1852, Capt Thomas W remarried a southern belle, Martha Jane Troxell, from Napoleon AK.  Tragically, Martha Jane was killed on the str Nick Wall  which ironically sunk near Napoleon, AK on 20 Dec 1870.  Their marriage produced two daughters, Amelia and Mary E.   Capt Thomas W also named two packets after these daughters.

 

In Georgetown, Capt Thomas W Poe built the house that stands between the homes of Capt Thomas S Calhoon and Capt Jackman Taylor Stockdale.  Like the adjacent Calhoon and Stockdale homes, this house was built on the high river bank with a second story balcony overlooking the Ohio.  All of the homes of the steamboat captains in Georgetown had second story balconies so that they could check the rise or fall the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business Ventures after 1848.

                Str Georgetown.  The str Georgetown, a sternwheel packet built in Line Island and Pittsburgh in 1852.  The capacity was rated at 183 tons.  The Georgetown was owned by Thomas W Poe and other partners from Georgetown, PA. On 8 Jun 1852, the arrival of one-thousand German and Irish immigrants was announced in Cincinnati.  Two hundred had come from New Orleans as deck passengers aboard the str Georgetown commanded by Capt Thomas W Poe.  All had escaped sickness, except a woman who had given birth to a son. [i] 

The str Georgetown was snagged on the Missouri on 12 Oct 1853, raised, and returned to service.  On 11 May 1855 the Georgetown was fatally snagged at Bellefontaine Bluffs on the Missouri in route to a military post. [1]

Str Georgetown Cert of Enrollment

 

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6635
Thomas Poe	3/16	Enroll No :	117
Jacob Poe	3/16	Cert Date:	24 Sep 1852
George Poe	1/16	Cert Type::	Enrollment
Joseph Calhoon	3/16	Build Locn:	Line Island, PA
Mrs AB McClure (Elizabeth Poe)	2/16	Build Date:	1852
Andrew Poe	2/16	Master
GW Ebbert	2/16

             

   Str Clifton.  The Clifton was a sternwheeler built in 1855 at the Glasgow boatyard across the river from Georgetown.  It was rated at 183 tons and was off the lists by 1860.  Thomas W Poe a partner in the ownership of the boat.

 

Str Clifton

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6637
George W Ebert	1/8	Enroll No :	115
Jacob Poe	1/4	Cert Date:	7 Aug 1855
Thomas Poe	1/8	Cert Type::	Admeasurement
George Poe	1/8	Build Locn:	Glasgow, PA
Andrew Poe	1/8	Build Date:	1855
Jonathan Kinsey	1/8	Master
James McQuiston	1/8

             

   Str Belmont.  The Belmont was a sternwheel wooden hull packet (153x31x4.5) built in California, PA and finished in Pittsburgh in 1856.  Capt George Washington Ebert was her first master and part owner with others principally from Georgetown, PA.  All members of the Georgetown Poe family shared in the profits as well as the risks of their river family business ventures.  Widowed in 1854, Elizabeth (Poe) McClure married Standish Peppard in 1857.  The original ownership was divided as follows:

 

Str Belmont

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6638
GW Ebert	3/16	Enroll No :	139
Jacob Poe	3/16	Cert Date:	23 Aug 1856
Thomas Poe	1/4	Cert Type::	Admeasurement 70
Andrew Poe	1/4	Build Locn:	California. PA
George Poe	1/8	Build Date:	1856
Elizabeth McClure	1/8	Master	GW Ebert

The Belmont was used in the Pittsburgh to Cincinnati to St Louis commerce.[2]

 

In the spring of 1859, Capt SC Trimble bought control. After serving as the second clerk under Capt George W Ebert Capt Thomas S Calhoon, 26 years became the master of the Belmont under its new ownership.  On May 7, 1859 while moored at the Pittsburgh wharf, a spectacular fire burned a number of boats.  The Belmont moved to safety in mid river unscathed, but the wind blew her alongside the burning JH Conn and the two packets burned together.[3]

 

                Str Neptune.  The Neptune was a sternwheel wooden hull packet (150×39.5×4) built in California, PA and finished in Pittsburgh in 1856.  Capt Adam Poe was her first master and part owner with others principally from Georgetown, PA.  The original ownership was divided as follows:

Str Neptune

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6640
Adam Poe	3/8	Enroll No :	287
Thomas Poe	1/4	Cert Date:	24 Oct 1857
Jacob Poe	3/16	Cert Type::	Admeasurement 179
George Poe	1/16	Build Locn:	California, PA
Jacob Diehl & Co	1/8	Build Date:	1856
		Master

John Diehl, a family friend, was the owner of one of the general stores in Georgetown.  After the Civil War, he opened a grocery in Pittsburgh.

 

The Neptune was used in the Pittsburgh to St Louis commerce.[4]

 

 

                Str Clara Poe.  The Clara Poe was a trim sternwheel packet built in California, PA in 1859 (149x32x4’9”) and rated at 208 tons.  Her first master was Capt Thomas W Poe.  Brother George W Poe was the pilot.  Ownership was divided as follows:

 

Str Clara Poe

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6642
Jacob Poe	1/4	Enroll No :	182
Thomas Poe	1/8	Cert Date:	26 Nov 1859
Martin L Poe	1/8	Cert Type::	Admeasurement  11
George Poe	1/8	Build Locn:	California, PA
		Build Date:	1859
Jonathan Kinsey	1/8	Master	Thomas Poe
George W Ebbert	1/8

 

The str Clara Poe was used in the Pittsburgh to Cincinnati trade until impressed into US service in 1862 according to Fredrick Way’s Packet Directory.[5]   Few details of the early commercial work have been uncovered.  In those days cabin passage on a packet was luxurious.  Cut glass chandeliers in the parlor, oil paintings in every stateroom, gilded mirrors and marble tables, thick carpets, and steaming foods piled high.  Life on the rivers was at its best.  Neither homes nor hotels of the 1850’s could provide such comfort.  Everyone whose life centered on the river was prosperous.  Even the crew walked with a swagger jingling their plentiful silver.

 

The 78^th PA Infantry boarded “on Captain Thomas Poe’s Clara Poe…  At 6:00 PM ropes were released, whistles sounded, anchors weighed, and the Clara Poe… sailed quickly from the Monongahela River into the Ohio River enroute to their jump-off point of Louisville, Kentucky, some three days away.”  This sendoff was vividly recorded on Oct 18, 1861.  The Clara Poe was one of six steamboats chartered by Commodore WJ Kountz, who has charge of the transportation by river of troops and Government supplies.[6]  The other five steamers at the Monongahela Wharf that Oct day were the Moderator, Sir William Wallace, JW Hallman, Argonaut, and the Silver Wave.  The Moderator in May 1863collided at night with the Horizon owned by Capt Jackman T Stockdale of Georgetown, PA.  Many soldier lives were lost.

 

In Apr 1862, the Clara Poe was a member of the expedition to Pittsburg Landing.  Whether the Clara Poe was chartered or impressed to service is unclear. [7]

 

On May 13, 1863 the Clara Poe transported the 14^th Illinois infantry from Memphis to Vicksburg.[8]

 

The Clara Poe was chartered from 24 Jun 1863 for an unknown period, from 4 Dec 1863 to 4 Jan 1864, and again from 8 Jul to 15 Aug 1864. [9]  A report in the New York Times on Aug 15, 1864  stated “On Saturday noon of the last week the Clara Poe, bound for the Tennessee River with two heavy barges loaded with government stores, having on her own deck a load of fat cattle was attacked by a rebel force estimated at 700.  The rebel commander Johnson ordered the Clara Poe to bring to, and upon her Captain refusing to comply. a fire of musketry was poured upon her.”  The article goes on to state that the Clara Poe had been pierced with approximately 500 musket bullets.  It goes into great detail about the escape – discarding the barges, running the cattle off the deck into the river, etc.  A good read. [10]

 

The last entry for the Clara Poe was on Apr 17, 1865.  The Clara Poe was burned by the Confederates at Eddyville on the Cumberland River while transporting supplies and barges of hay to Nashville.  [11]

 

 

 

                Str Amelia Poe.  The steamer Amelia Poe was named in honor of the daughter of Thomas Washington Poe and Martha Jane born in Georgetown, PA in 1852.  The trim sternwheel packet built in Georgetown, PA and finished in Pittsburgh in 1865 (1659x27x4’5”) was designed for Missouri River commerce.  Her capacity was rated at 200 tons.  Capt Thomas W Poe was her first master and principle owner.  [12]    George W Poe was also a partner and pilot.  The Amelia Poe’sr maiden voyage in 1865 was a trip to Nashville, TN for a cargo of pig iron for John Kyle in Cincinnati.  It main trade routes were From Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, Louisville, St Louis, and Ft Benton.

 

 

Str Amelia Poe

 

Owners and Partners	Share	Vol:	6649
Adam Poe	1/8	Enroll No :	131
Thomas Poe	7/16	Cert Date:	11 May 1865
Cornelius Todd	1/16	Cert Type::	Admeasurement 126
Jacob Poe	1/8	Build Locn:	Pittsburgh, PA
Jacob Ewing	1/8	Build Date:	1865
GW Hughes	1/8	Master	Adam Poe

 

 

 

In the spring of 1866, some 51 boats, including the Amelia Poe, started from St Louis for the upper Missouri.  Only 32 docked at Ft Benton.  On Jun 11, 1866, the Amelia Poe arrived at Ft Benton with 200 tons of freight and 40 passengers. [13] Downward freight and passengers was unrecorded.  That season the average fare per passenger was $150 and freight landed a prize of 10-12.5 cents per lb.  Considering the upward cargo only, Thomas W Poe’s gross earnings were approximately $56,000.  In 2007 dollars that amount would be equal to $1,120,000.  The lure of huge profits was as great as the risks of the upper Missouri.  Compensation for the steamboat officers was also very rewarding.  In 1866 on the Ohio a river boat pilot could earn $175 per month, a captain $150, and a first clerk $150; on the Missouri, their counterparts received $725, $400, and $250.[14] The clerk on that first mountain trip was Thomas S Calhoon from Georgetown, PA.

 

An advertising card in 1867 stated:

 

                Ho for the Gold Mines

                The Montana and Idaho transportation Lines

                will give through bills of lading for

                Ft Benton, Helena, Virginia City,

                and all points in the mining districts.

 

Even with the boom of the gold rush wearing off, the year of 1867 was another busy season in the Montana trade.  More boats arrived than in 1866.  The Amelia Poe was the tenth packet to dock with 183 tons of cargo and 50 passengers.  The down trip carried 25 passengers.  The rates for passengers and cargo are unrecorded.  No doubt the trip was deemed a success even if the rates were lower due to the increased traffic.  [15]  The officers were Georgetown men:

 

Name	Position
Thos Poe	Captain
JQA Parr	Clerk
TS  Calhoon	Clerk
Jacob Ewing	Engineer
George Calhoon	Steward
Thomas Conkle	Cook

 

 

In 1868, the Amelia Poe again steamed to Ft Benton.  On May 20, 1868 Amelia Poe passed Ft Buford without stopping.  Loaded down with a quartz mill for the Montana mines and a cargo of whiskey and other liquors, she snagged near Oswego, MT on May 24 attracting 1,500 swarming Indians in a riotous salvage operation.  The location where the packet snagged and sunk is now known as Amelia Poe Bend.  Part of the cargo was saved by the steamer Cora and taken to Helena.  The Poe passengers were carried to Ft Benton by the Bertha.  The quartz mill was stowed ashore, and as late as 1927 was still visible. [16]  Although the owner of the Amelia Poe was Thomas W Poe, her captain was Thomas Townsend at the time of the wreck.  There is no recorded evidence that Thomas W Poe was aboard.  It is more likely that he was captain or pilot of the Ida Stockdale that season.

 

 

                Str Nick Wall.  The Nick Wall was a sternwheel wooden hull packet built in Pittsburgh in 1869.  It was 180x33x5 and rated at 338 tons.  It was named to honor a Missouri River captain and Montana businessman.  Capt Thomas W Poe owned ½ interest with probably other family members.

 

 

The Nick Wall ran to Ft Benton in 1869-70.  On Jun 14 1970, Capt Thomas W Poe was the first to dock at Ft Benton landing with 200 tons of freight and 36 passengers.  [17]  On the down river run with Gen Philip Sheridan and his staff aboard, the Nick Wall beached at Spread Eagle on 20 Jun 1870 for a period of time– A serious event due to the danger of Indian attack.

 

The Nick Wall met a tragic end when it struck a snag and sunk near Napoleon, AR on Dec 18, 1870 with 15 cabin passengers and 135 on deck.  Here a grisly incident occurred that Mark Twain retold in “Life on the Mississippi”.  Capt Thomas W Poe attempting to save his wife trapped in a stateroom chopped a hole in the roof with an ax striking the unfortunate Martha Jane Poe in the head.[18]  Her body was returned to Georgetown for burial.  Thirty-nine lives were lost including Capt Poe’s young nephew, Charles McClure.  According to the clerk of the Nick Wall, the steamer was a total loss.  The boat was valued at $22,000 and insured for $15,000.  She was laden with 3,000 barrels of flour and a large lot of assorted freight for the Red River. [19]

 

                Str Fearless.  No data.

 

                _{Str Mary E Poe}.

Named in honor of his youngest daughter, the Mary E Poe was a sternwheeler built in 1871 in Cincinnati, OH.  Her dimensions were 180x33x5 and her capacity was rated at 296 tons.  Capt Thomas W Poe was the principal owner with, as usual, other family members.  The MEP was charted by the Carter Line for the St Louis Red River trade.

 

On 17 Oct 1873 her boiler caused a fire and she was intentionally run aground near Island 26 above Osceola, AK.  The str City of Helena picked up the passengers and crew.  John Blythe, the mate and Thomas W Poe’s son-in-law, remained aboard to guard the wreck..  A swarm of Tennessee natives arrived at the wreck with the intent to plunder.  They drove the mate away at gunpoint.  When the TF Eckert arrived to salvage the cargo, most had been pilfered.. [20]

 

 

Personal Wealth.  According to 1860 census data, Thomas W Poe had a net worth greater than $1.2 M converted to 2013 dollars.  His brother Jacob Poe was second in the borough of Georgetown with approximately $1.0M.  In 1870, the order was the same, but the amounts were reduced by 30%.  The war years had not been good for river commerce.  At the outbreak of the war, all Mississippi River commerce stopped.  During the war whether impressed or contracted to service by the US Army Quartermaster, packet business was unprofitable.  Wage scales controlled by the Quartermaster were less than pre-war rates.  Even the high profit of the Missouri River commerce during the Montana gold rush was not enough to recover from the financial setback caused by the Civil War.  Still by any measure, the Georgetown captains and pilots in 1870, especially Thomas W Poe, were wealthy men for their time.

 

Summary.  Ringed in romance and smoke, the American inland river steamboat is one of our most colorful and precious heritages.  The light draft vessel was the technological wonder of its day providing access to the western territories decades before the arrival of the railroads.   That many Americans continue to be fascinated by the historical exploits and romantic spirit of steamboats is completely understandable.  However, no captain or pilot from Georgetown, PA earned much renown either during his lifetime or the years after his death.  During the Civil War, they like many other steamboat men sacrificed, suffered, and learned to live with their losses.  They served from start to finish, fought summer and winter, but their history has been essentially silent.

 

For those who only remember the Poe family of pioneer days because of their celebrated fight with Big Foot, the Wyandot Indian chief, they are missing the astonishing record of their work as steamboat captains and pilots.  That record was mostly achieved in a single generation.   History touched the Poe brothers, especially Thomas W.  It is my hope that this biography of Capt Thomas Washington Poe will inform and entertain.  It is a bit of American history too important to be left untold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Packet Ownership 

 

(The summary information for Thomas W Poe in the following table was gleaned from a personal review of the Certificates of Enrollment for the Port of Pittsburgh stored in The National Archives.)

 

 

 

Packet Name	Build Date (Way’s Directory)	Build Location (Way’s Directory)	Primary Owner (Cert of Enroll)	Master (Cert of Enroll)
Amelia Poe	1865	Pittsburgh	Thomas Poe	Adam Poe
Belfast	1843	Freedom	Jacob Poe	GW Ebert
Belfast  No 2	1857	Freedom	Jacob Poe	GW Ebert
Belmont	1842	Pittsburgh	Jacob Poe	Jacob Poe
Belmont  No 2	1856	California	Thomas W Poe	GW Ebert
Caledonia	1854	Pittsburgh	Richard Calhoon
Clara Poe	1859	California	Jacob Poe	Thomas W Poe
Clifton	1855	Glasgow	Jacob Poe
Ella	1854	Elizabeth	Adam Poe
Fairmont	1837	Fallston	Jacob Poe	Jacob Poe
Fallston	1837	Fallston	Jacob Poe	Jacob Poe
Financier	1845	Pittsburgh	Jacob Poe	Adam Poe
Financier No 2	1850	Freedom	Jacob Poe	Adam Poe
Georgetown	1852	Line Island	Jacob Poe
Hudson	1846	Glasgow	Jacob Poe	GW Ebert
Neptune	1856	California	Adam Poe	Adam Poe
New England	1844	Pittsburgh	Jacob Poe	GW Ebert
Peru	1848	Freedom	TS Calhoon	TS Calhoon
Pioneer	1846	Elizabeth	Jacob Poe	Adam Poe
Tuscarora	1848	Glasgow	Jacob Poe	Jacob Poe
Royal Arch	1852	Elizabeth
Washington City	1852	Freedom	Jacob Poe	GW Ebert
Yorktown	1853	Pittsburgh	Jacob Poe
Yorktown  No 2	1864	Freedom	Jacob Poe	Jacob Poe

 

 

 

 

Georgetown Cemetery Markers.

 

 

References.

In 1869, Thomas S Calhoon was an owner and the captain of the str Sallie on its trip to Ft Benton in the Montana Territory.  Capt Calhoon was also a shareholder in the str Ida Stockdale which was also running to Ft Benton that season.  Two other packets from Georgetown, the Mollie Ebert and the Nick Wall, were in the mountain fleet bound for Ft Benton.  Of the four Georgetown boats, only the Sallie docked at the levee in Ft Benton.  The other packets ended their trips at Cow Island.

 

The following journal entries were taken from a photocopy of a translation of Thomas S Calhoon’s Diary 1869. [1]  Most of May 1869 is missing.  The original journal I have not seen, nor know where it is.  The Heinz History Center research library has a typed copy which I assume was transcribed from the original by Harriet (Calhoon) Ewing.  I have attempted to stay true to the copy. 

 

Steamers identified during the 1869 season:

Mollie Ebert
Nick Wall
Tacony
E Labarge
Faragut
Arkansas 
Colossal
Peter Balen
Huntsville l
St John
Andrew Ackley
Columbia 
Tempest
Flirt
Ida Stockdale
Utah 
War Eagle
Evening Star
Colorado 
Minnie
 
 

Diary 1869

 

Fri, 01 Jan       Loading Stmr Sallie for Louisville  Rained hard all day   River rising

Tue, 05 Jan      Left Pittsburgh this AM with a mighty small trip

Wed, 06 Jan    Arrived at Wheeling at 5 AM

Sun, 10 Jan      In Louisville   Went over the Falls at 4 PM to meet Stmr Dexter

Mon, 11 Jan    Left Louisville for Pittsburgh

Wed, 13 Jan    Left Cint for Pittsburgh at 4.15

Mon, 18 Jan    Arrived at Pittsbg this AM at 4

 

Mon, 01 Feb    Left Cint for Pittsbg at 4 PM

Fri, 12 Feb       Left Pittsburgh for Louisville at 9 PM

Sat, 13 Feb      Past Marietta at 4 PM

 

Sat, 13 Mar     Stmr Sallie left Pittsbg 12.30 PM this day for Omaha City

 

                        Amt freight on the Omaha trip     5632.20

                        Passage                                          1323.35

                                                                               6955.55

 

Mon, 15 Mar   Arrived at Cincinnati at 3 PM   Left at 6 PM

Tue, 16 Mar     Arrived at Louisville at 5 AM   Left at 11 AM

Wed, 17 Mar   Arrived at Evansville at 5 AM   Left at 6 ½ AM

Thu, 18 Mar    Arrived at Cairo at 1 AM   Left at 3 AM

 

Fri, 19 Mar      Arrived in St Louis at 6 PM

Sat, 20 Mar     In St Louis unloading

Sun, 21 Mar    Left St Louis for Omaha 11 ½ AM   Laid up at Dr Penns above St Charles at 10 PM   Got 11 cords wood at 2.50

Mon, 22 Mar   Left Dr Penns Wood Yard this Am 5 ½ oclock   Laid at anchor below Smith Point all night

Tue, 23 Mar     Left at 5 ½   Landed at Washington at 7 ½ AM

Wed, 24 Mar   Laid up at Claysville for the night

Mon, 29 Mar   Got aground below Leavenworth and had to be lighted   Left Leavenworth at 8 PM

Tue, 30 Mar     At Atchison   Left at 8 AM   St Jo at ? PM

 

Sat, 03 Apr      Arrived at Omaha at 2 oclock this morning   Left for St Louis at 11 ½ AM

Mon, 05 Apr   Left Kansas City this morning

Tue, 06 Apr     Landed in St Louis this evening at 7 ½ PM

 

Fri, 09 Apr      In St Louis

Fri, 16 Apr      In St Louis   The Mollie Ebert left this PM at say 4 AM

 

Sat, 24 Jan       Left St Louis this PM at 6 oclock for Fort Benton M T in company with the Nick Wall & Tacony   Past St Charles at 2 ½ next morning AM   Run all night

Sun, 25 Apr     Past Augusta this morning   24 hours out to Herman   Past Gasconade at supper   Run all night

Mon, 26 Apr   Past Providence at breakfast   Took supper below Glasgow

Tue, 27 Apr     Landed at Goodings at 3 ½ PM   70 hours out from St Louis 

Wed, 28 Apr   Landed at Kansas City at 7 ½ AM

Thu, 29 Apr     Past St Joseph at 7 AM   Run all night   Rough night

Fri, 30 Apr      Past Arago at 8 AM   Past Brownsville at 2 ½   Past Sonora at 4 ½ PM

 

Sat, 01 May     Stmr Nick Wall sunk this morning at one oclock opposite Wyoming

 

Fri, 11 Jun       Stmr Sallie arrived here this morning at 6 ½ oclock   47 days out last night from St Louis

Sat, 12 Jun      Left Fort Benton for Grand Island this morning

Sun, 13 Jun     Met the Mollie Ebert at Cow Island   Arkansas at Grand Island   Left this PM   Laid all night a Wook ldg

Mon, 14 Jun    Past the Mollie Ebert & Arkansas this AM at Cow Island   Got part over Dauphins and laid up for the night

Tue, 15 Jun      Got over the rapids and left at 7 ½ AM   Past the Colossal just above

Wed, 16 Jun    Run all night   Past the Coal Banks at 7 AM   Raining

Thu, 17 Jun     Arrived in Benton at one oclock this AM

 

Fri, 18 Jun       In Fort Benton   Raining this AM

Sat, 19 Jun      In Benton   Stmr Peter Balen arrived   River rising   Raining

Sun, 20 Jun     Left Ft Benton at 4 PM   Stmr Colossal arrived   In port Peter Balen & Huntsville

Mon, 21 Jun    Left Camp Cook this morning   No wood until Grand Island   Plenty then to Musselshell   Took 28 cords @ 4.50  20 cords 5.00 below Musselshell   Left Mollie Ebert at Musselshell

Tue, 22 Jun      Left Powers Wood Yard at 2 this morning   Met the St Johns & Ackley laid up below   Very cold this morning   Met Stmr Columbia at Lost Island  Ida Stockdale above Ft Peck  Tempest below Dry Fork

Wed, 23 Jun    Met the Flirt at at Little Porcupine   Saw Ida Stockdale frt pile above Spread Eagle Camp

Thu, 24 Jun     Laid all night at the wood yd   Met the Tacony above Little Muddy  

Sallie 4 days 201/4 hours out to Yellowstone   Met the Faragut & E Labarge below Yellowstone

Fri, 25 Jun       Fine day  Robt Chaney a passenger Died the PM and was buried at a wood yard above Fort Berthold

Sat, 26 Jun      Past Ft Stevenson this AM   Past the Sully at 9 AM at Knife River   Submarine below   Past Ft Rice at 6 PM

Sun, 27 Jun     Lay all night at the wood yard with the Utah   Met the Nick Wall at the Mouth of the Moreau this forenoon

Mon, 28 Jun    Lay all night at the Scheyenne Agency with the Stmr Utah   Met the Stmr War Eagle below Fort Thompson this evening

Tue, 29 Jun      Laid up in the woods all night   Past the Evening Star this AM above Neabriah   Met the Ida at Bonhams Island

Wed, 30 Jun    Lay all night above Bow River   Got 47 cords wood @ 2.50   Past the Colorado below Vermillion   Landed at Sioux City at 12 M   Left at 3 Pm

 

Thu, 01 Jul      Laid up in the woods all night  Past Omaha at 12M

Fri, 02 Jul        Lay all night at the Sonora Shute

Sat, 03 Jul       Lay all night at Leavenworth  Past the Minnie at Mo City

Sun, 04 Jul      Rainy day   We run all night

 

Tue, 13 Jul       Laid the Sallie up this day at the arsenal   Stmr Mollie Ebert arrived at 10 AM   I left for home at 6:30 PM

Wed, 14 Jul     On the train   Arived in Pittsburg at 6.50 PM

Thu, 15 Jul      In Pittsburgh   Arrived at home on this PM

 

Fri, 16 Jul        through Aug 17   At home in Georgetown

            27 Jul   At the Picnic

            30 Jul   Spent the day in Pittsbg

            Sunday at Sunday School

            16 Aug   Spent the day in Pittsburgh

 

Wed, 18 Aug  Going to Pittsburgh

Thu, 19 Aug    In Pittsburgh getting the Stmr Baranquilla ready

 

Fri, 20 Aug      In Pittsburgh   The river fell 2 inches last night   2 ft in the channel 

Sat, 21 Aug and Sun, 22 Aug              In Pittsburgh

Mon, 23 Aug   Left Pittsburgh for N. O. on Stmr Baranquilla

Tue, 24 Aug    Got away from Glasshouse at 10 AM  Past Georgetown at 5 PM  Laid up above Wheeling

Wed, 25 Aug  Coaled at Belmont Coal Works this AM   Took 400 @ 6

Thu, 26 Aug    Laid all night at Parkersburg  Took 700 Bush of coal at 6

 

Fri, 27 Aug      Run all night   Took 600 Bushels of coal at Sheridan @ 8¢

Sat, 28 Aug     Arrived at Cincinnati at 6 ½ this AM   Left at 8 PM

Sun, 29 Aug    Got to Madison this AM   Got to Louisville at 6 ½ PM

Mon, 30 Aug   Left foot of the canal at 3 this AM

Tue, 31 Aug    French Island   Got aground

 

Wed, 01 Sep   Still aground at French Island  Got off this PM

Thu, 02 Sep     Landed at Paducah this evening

 

Fri, 03 Sep       Lay all night taking on frt at Paducah   Left Cairo for New Orleans at 4 ½ PM

Sat, 04 Sep      Run all day  Landed at Memphis at 9 PM

Sun, 05 Sep     Run all last night & today   Past Napolean tis PM at 3 1/2

Mon, 06 Sep    Run all day   Past Vicksburg at 1 PM   Wooded at Rodney at 8 PM   Took 6 cords at 2.75

Tue, 07 Sep     Left Red River at 12 M

Wed, 08 Sep   Arrived in New Orleans at 4 this AM

Thu, 09 Sep     through Sat 11 Sep   In New Orleans

 

Sun, 12 Sep     Left New Orleans on the Stmr Olive Branch for St Louis at 2 oclock this AM

Mon, 13 Sep    Left Natchez at 5 this morning   Wooded opposite Rodney   Past Vicksburg at 5 PM

Tue, 14 Sep     Landed at Greenville this AM   At Eunice this PM   Good ash wood above at $3.50   Past White river tonight

Wed, 15 Sep   Took coal at the foot of 62 and 63 at 11 AM   Past Helena at 1 PM

Thu, 16 Sep  Left Memphis at one this morning   Randolph at 8 ½ AM   Wooded at Fulton @ 9.45   Met the Ida Stockdale at Hales Point at 2 PM       

 

Fri, 17 Sep       Landed at Cairo this morning at 7 ½   Left Cairo on Ills Cent at 2.40

Sat, 18 Sep      Arrived in Chicago at 7 ½ thtis AM   Left for Pittsburgh at 8 AM

Sun, 19 Sep     In Allegheny City

Mon, 20 Sep    Arrived home this PM

Tue, 21 Sep     Left to meet the Stmr Sallie at Wheeling

Wed, 22 Sep   In Wheeling all day   Weather hot   4 ½ ft water

 

 

Fri, 08 Oct       Left Pittsburgh for Louisville

Sat, 09 Oct      Aground in Glasshouse

Sun, 10 Oct     Aground in Glasshouse

Mon, 11 Oct    Still aground

Tue, 12 Oct     Get off last night   Aground in the Sisters

Wed, 13 Oct   Get off the Sisters this PM & went on

 

Sat, 16 Oct      Portsmouth this AM

Sun, 17 Oct     In Cint

Mon, 18 Oct    In Louisville

Tue, 19 Oct     In Louisville   Snowed hard today

Wed, 20 Oct   Left Louisville at 7 PM

Thu, 21 Oct     On our way to Cint

Fri, 22Oct        In Cint   Left for Pittsbg at 5 PM

Sat, 23 Oct      Past Maysville at 5 AM   Coaled at Hang Rock at 7 PM

Sun, 24 Oct     Landed at Gallipolis at 5 AM   At Buffington at 6 PM   Here all night

Mon, 25 Oct    Left Buffington at 5 AM   Landed at Parkersburg at 12 M   Left at 7 PM   Got aground at Menelta three hours

Tue, 26 Oct     Past Grand View at 7 AM   Wheeling at 8 PM

Wed, 27 Oct   Georgetown at 6 AM   Pittsburgh 3 PM

Thu, 28 Oct     In Pittsburgh

 

Fri, 29 Oct       Left Pittsburgh for Cint at 12 M   Laid at Rochester all night

Sat, 30 Oct      Landed at Wheeling at 2 PM   Left at 8 PM

Sun, 31 Oct     Marietta at 6 AM   Pomeroy 7 PM

 

Mon, 01 Nov   Portsmouth at 9 AM

Tue, 02 Nov    Left Cint for Louisville at 12 M

Wed, 03 Nov  Landed at Louisville at 7 AM   Left for Cint at 9 PM

Fri, 05 Nov      Landed at Cincinnati this Am at 2 oclock   Left Cint for Pgh at 9 PM

Sat, 06 Nov     Past Ripley at 8 AM   Past Portsmouth at 9 PM

Sun, 07 Nov    Past Guyann at 10 AM

 

 

References.

 

 

---

[1]  The Ewing Family Papers, Thomas S Calhoon’s Diary 1869, Box 5, Heinz history Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

In 1866, Thomas S Calhoon was the 1^st clerk aboard the str Amelia Poe on its trip to Ft Benton in the Montanan territory.  The Amelia Poe owned and commanded by Capt Thomas W Poe, was the first packet from Georgetown, PA to battle the upper Missouri River all the way to Ft Benton.  The following journal entries were taken from a photocopy of a translation of Thomas S Calhoon’s Book 1866  [1] 

The List of Officers and Crew on board Stmr Amelia Poe bound for Fort Benton M.T. Tuesday March 20, 1866

Capt. Thomas Poe
Clks.  J. Q. A. Parr
            T. S. Calhoon
Engs.  Jacob Ewing
            J. W. Crawford
Pilots Wert Asby
             Wm. Howard
Steersman  Saml. Davis
Indian Interpreter  John Saville
Mate  Jesse Huff
Watchmen  Jos. Green
                       Geo. W. Hughs
Carpenter Geo. Fields

Cabin Crew
Steward  Geo. Calhoon
2nd “        Saml Golding
Cook  Thomas Conkle
Chambermaid  Ellen Fields

Total Amt. Ft. Benton Frt.
Lyman Bates & Wykoff      104,729
Carrol & Steel                       94,216
Frank Walker                       111,417
John J. Roe & Co.                  41,805
H. D. Bouge & Co.                    4,172
J. G. Baker                                    305
S. S. Tuttle                                 1,576
N.. Merriman                            2,874
Mrs Carter                                    345
                                                361,539#

  361194 @ 13¢                    46955.22
  345 @ 15¢                                  51.75
                                                47006.97

  30798 @ 4¢                           1231.92
  2995 @ 4¢                                119.80
  27278 @ 4¢                             545.56
                                                        10.00
                                                  48914.25

 

The steamers sighted during the up river trip on the Missouri were:

Iron City 
Gold Finch
Amanda
Favorite
Ontario 
Peter Balen
Walter B Dance
Deer Lodge
Jennie Brown
St Johns 
Waverly
Tacony
Only Chance
Wm. J. Lewis
Mollie Dozier
Marcella
 
 
 
 
 

Book 1866

 

Mon, 12 Mar  Home
 

Tue, 13 Mar     Left Georgetown for Cint (Cincinnati) to go on the Stmr Amelia Poe bound for the Mountains   Pitt to Cint 500 miles
 

Wed, 14 Mar  Arrived in Cincinnati this morning at 7 o’clock
 

Thu, 15 Mar    Left Cint on Stmr St Charles for Nashville at 4 PM
 

Fri, 16 Mar       Arrived in Louisville this morning at 4 o’clock   Left at 7 AM for Nashville   Took dinner at Bolinggreen, KY   Arrived at Nashville at 5 ½ PM   Stopping at the City Hotel
 

Sat, 17 Mar     In Nashville all day   Got settled with JFO’Schaughnessy and Ewing   Left for Louisville at 9 PM   Weather quite cold
 

Sun, 18 Mar    Arrived at Llouisville this morning at 5 o’clock   Took breakfast at the National Hotel   Left for Cint on the Stmr Gene Anderson
 

Mon, 19 Mar  In Cincinnati   The Amelia commecnced taking mountain freight   Rained
 

Tue, 20 Mar     Loading all day   Left for Ft Benton Idaho at 6 o’clock PM   Stormy   Landed at Risingsun and Madison for wind
 

Wed, 21 Mar  Pleasant day   Past Louisville at 9 AM
 

Thu, 22 Mar    Landed at Owensboro at 3 AM
 

Fri, 23 Mar      Arrived at Cairo at 3 AM   Left at 6 ½   Raining   Past Cape Girardau at 12 ½ PM
 

Sat, 24 Mar     Past St Genovic at 9 AM   Landed at St Louis at 10 PM
 

Sun, 25 Mar   In St Louis

No of miles from Pittsburgh via the River to the Rocky Mountains or Ft Benton

             500 to Cincinnati
             150 to Louisville
             600 to St Louis
            3175 to Ft Benton
            4425

 

Mon, 26 Mar  In St Louis   Night out town with Mssr Bates Wykoff Poe Montgomery Parr   Had much fun
 

Tue, 27 Mar     Receiving frt for Ft Benton   Expect to leave tomorrow
 

Wed, 28 Mar  Did not leave   Was out tonight with Capt Poe Lyman Bates Parr Hughs and Frank Walker   Recvd frt all day
 

Thu, 29 Mar    In St Louis   Will leave tomorrow
 

Fri, 30 Mar      Left St Louis 6 PM for Ft Benton   All OK   I weigh #132
 

Sat, 31 Mar     On our way this morning   Sky bright and clear  Past St Charles this morning   Laid up above St Charles to fix leak in the boiler   Went hunting with Mr Bates JQA Parr highs for dog  All got one squirrel but the dog
 

Sun, 1 Apr       Morning bright and clear   In sight of Herman Mo   Past mouth of Gasconade at 11 AM   It is a small stream   Landed at Jefferson City at 8 PM   Left at 10 PM   Coald  took on frt and passengers
 

Mon, 2 Apr     Past Providence at 7 AM   Past Roach Port at 11 AM   Beautiful day   Past Boonville MO 2 PM   Landed and put off frt   Had a hail storm and rainbow at the mouth of Lamain River Mo   Landed at supper time for wood   Had a hard storm
 

Tue, 3 Apr       Morning aground above Cambridge   Broke the wheel   Past Brunswick 2 PM   Very Windy   Landed at Miami Mo and put off old Jew Closes   Moving at 4 ½ PM   Found SB Iron City aground above Miami 
 

Wed, 4 Apr     Aground this morning on ten(?) snags   Cold and wintrry   11 Am  past Stmr Iron City at Waverly, Mo   At 2 PM wooded and are now after the Stmr Iron City Amanda and Gold Finch
 

Thu, 5 Apr       Spard all night below Lexington   Got off and coald   Snow storm last night   Quite cold   Ground covered with snow   Run all day in pursuit of the Amanda and Gold Finch   Day pleasant but cool  8 PM still running
 

Fri, 6 Apr        Morning bright and clear   Run last nght   Left Amanda at wood pile   Past Iron City and Gold Finch below Kansas City   Landed at Kansas City at 4 ½ AM   Put out frt and got new anchor sent to us from St Louis  7 Am  laid up for fog   Iron City alongside  Landed at Leavenworth City at 2 PM  Left at 2 ½ PM  John killed a blind goose
 

Sat, 7 Apr        Morning beautiful   Just above Atchisons got aground   Was detained 1 10/60 of hour   Arrived at St Josephs 4 PM   Left at 7 PM ahead of the Iron City and Gold Finch Beautiful evening   Past several towns dont know the names   Have no card couldn’t read it if I had one – Arkansas
 

Sun, 8 Apr       Morning bright and clear   Wooding above St Jo   Beginning to see the Missouri in all its beauty   Just below Gra,ne,me,ha Creek Sunday afternoon   Past Forest City this evening  Run all day getting along fine
 

Mon, 9 Apr     Morning cold and windy   Laid up all last night at wood yard   Got aground   Was detained 2 hours   Gold Finch and Amanda past up afternoon up at wood yard   Dark and raining   Saw some floating ice  SB Gold Finch alongside
 

Tue, 10 Apr     Left Readers wood yard at 8 AM   Was detained by fog   Weather cold   Afternoon pleasant   Just past Joshua Botna River Mo   Hot after the Iron City and Gold Finch   Arrived Nebraska City in the night
 

Wed, 11 Apr   
Birght and clear   Have just left Nebraska City 5 AM   Passing through beautiful prairie   Got aground a short time at Plat City mouth of Platt River just above laid up three hours for winds
 

Thu, 12 Apr     Morning bright and clear   Laid up last night some distance below Council Bluffs Iowa   Arrived at Council Bluffs 9 AM   Got aground below Omaha   Laid at Omaha all night
 

Fri, 13 Apr      Morning winds   Aground above Omaha
 

Sat, 14 Apr      Beautiful day   Laid up all night a Lakes   John off at Geo Wests
 

Sun, 15 Apr     Started out and could not make it   River rising fast
 

Mon, 16 Apr  Started out this morning   Went through one bend and quit for high water
 

Tue, 17 Apr     Left this morning at 7 o’clock   Windy and raining   River falling   Came near sinking in a deep bend but got through and laughed afterwards   Had a free fight and the Ball Went On   Landed five miles above Little Sioux for the river to fall   Weather cold
 

Wed, 18 Apr  Laid up in the woods   River rising   Killd two rabbits today
 

Thu, 19 Apr     Got poisoned yesterday
 

Fri, 20 Apr      Still in the woods
 

Sat, 21 Apr      Nothing new
 

Sun, 22 Apr     Beautiful day   Still in the wood
 

Mon, 23 Apr  Still laid up
 

Tue, 24 Apr     Left this morning and made the riffle
 

Wed, 25 Apr  Laid up last night in the woods   Wooded opposite Decatur N.T.   Laid up just below Blackbird Hill tonight
 

Thu, 26 Apr     At the Omeha Mission
 

Fri, 27 Apr      Laid up last night at Stanleys wood yard   12 M laid up for wind
 

Sat, 28 Apr      Arrived at Sioux City this afternoon Discharged frt and went on   Laid up in woods at night
 

Sun, 29 Apr     Beautiful day   Made a good run   Past the Iowa Bluffs this afternoon
 

Mon, 30 Apr  Windy   Ran until 12 M  Wooded at Gundersons   took 16 ½   Started out   Wind blew us across the river   Laid up till supper   Started out run until 9 o’clock  Laid up for night below Vermillion River
 

Tue, 1 May      Morning cold and windy   Some snow   Started out twice but could not make it wind too high got off at Eleven   Had some trouble getting around the bar   Past Vermillion at 2 o;clock PM
 

Wed, 2 May    Started out this morning at 4   Came in sight of the Gold Finch and Favorite at 9   Past Gold Finch just below Yankton D.T.   Got aground a short time   Landed at Yankton at 12 M   Left at 1 PM   Past Bow Hickmans Island at 5 PM
 

Thu, 3 May      Run all day   Weather favorable   Wooded below Schotians Creek   Took 19 cord   Gold Finch behind   Favorite in sight ahead   8 PM river falling slow   Saw some of the Poncha tribe today
 

 

Fri, 4 May       Past Yankton Agcy at 7 AM   Did not land   When some five miles above in a bend the Stmr Favorite ran into us braking our cylindar timbers cams etc  The Stmr Favorite came alongside and staid until 3 PM   She then left on her way   The SB Gold Finch past at 12 M
 

Sat, 5 May       Saturday morning beautiful   Left at 10 AM   Have got repaired   Arrive at Fort Randall at 2 PM   Laid over one hour   Landed at Cedar Island at 5 PM   took 10 cords of cedar wood at 7.00 per cord
 
 

Sun, 6 May      Beautiful day   Have made good run   Past Bijo Hills this evening   Laid up for the night above
 

Mon, 7 May    Morning raining  rather cool   Started at day light this morning   Saw five antelope this morning for the first   Got wood from the Sontee Indians today
 

Tue, 8 May      Morning foggy but clearing up pleasant   Past Crow Creek Agcyat 7 AM   Stmr Ontario and Favorite behind   Wooded at the foot of Big Bens at 10 AM   Laid up for the night on an island ahead of the Bend
 

Wed, 9 May    Morning beautiful   Left at day light   Have had some trouble this forenoon getting over sand bars  Took 12 ½ cords of wood opposite Cedar I.   Ontario and Favorite came up with us   Have run steadily all day   Laid up for the night at 7 ½ PM in sight of the fort   We cut some cedar today
 

Thu, 10 May    Long to be remembered  Arrived here at 6 ½ AM   Laid all day & night   Discharged 15 tons frt etc  ere Stmr Gold Finch Left at 7 AM   Stmr Favorite at 10 AM   We left Stmr Ontario here 11^th   There are plenty of Indians here of all sorts and sizes
 

Fri, 11 May     Laid up below the mouth of Schiann River   30 miles run all day   
 

Sat, 12 May     Beautiful morning  Shot at a wolf in the river below Big Schiann   Kild one antelope just above   Cut wood twice   Laid up for the night in sight of the Stmr Gold Finch and Peter Bolen   Sprinking rain
 

Sun, 13 May    Beautiful morning  Was wooding this morning and did not start until 6 AM   Arrived at Mouth of Schiann at 12 M   Got aground   Got off at 2 PM   Wne to shore to cut wood in company with Gold Finch and Peter Bolen   Wooded all afternoon   Laid all night
 

Mon, 14 May  Beautiful morning   Run until 9AM   Got aground    Got off by 4 PM   Stmrs Ontario Gold Finch and Peter Bolen in company with us  Got a letter from ? by the Ontario per Mr Carroll  Yours Most Respectfully   8PM tied up to shore all night
 

Tue, 15 May    Left this morning   Below the Mouth of Moriaw got aground   Got off and laid up at 11 AM until 4 PM for wind   Stmrs Ontario Peter Bolen & Gold Finch with us all day   Run until late   Laid up below the Moth of Grand River for the night   
 

Wed, 16 May              Beautiful morning   Left Early   Got aground before breakfast one hour   Wooded on an island   The best wood we have found   Made a good run today   Got aground this evening a few minutes  Now tied up with the Ontario for the night
 

Thu, 17  May   Cool and pleasant   Left early   Landed on an island before breakfast and wooded   Landed at 11 AM for wind   Started out at 2 PM    Laid up for the night with te Ontario above Beaver River  Two Bears Chief of the Sioux here tonight
 

Fri, 18 May     Started out this morning but had to lay up for wind   I went hunting antelope and got enough to last the trip   Left a 1 PM   Wooded at 4 PM at Mouth of Cannonball River   Landed on the opposite side of Ft Rice 6 PM  Laid all night   Very windy
 

Sat, 19 May     Left Ft Rice this morning at 3 o’clock   It has been very windy all day   Lost one hour for wind but made a good run   We are now laid up for the night above the Mouth of Hart River   82 miles by the card from Ft Rice   Went hunting and found two dead Indians on a tree
 

Sun, 20 May    Beautiful morning   9 AM out on a hill on picket with Mssrs Walker & Wykoff while we get some wood   Saw some Indians in a ravine  they hailed us but we did not stop   Run all day
 

Mon, 21 May              Weather cool   Left this morning at 2 ½ o’clock   Wooded in a drift pile before breakfast   11 Am  38 miles from Fort Berthold   Splendid location for coal  Some three vanes thick here by 100 yards long   Got to Randall at ? o’clock PM
 

Tues, 22 May              Left Fort Berthold this morning at 3 o’clock   Wooded just in sight   Got 6 cords from the soldiers   Weather quite windy   Landed in the evening for wind  and had a (an erasure here)   Highs and Vicnent Opend the Ball   Left V- in the wooods  too hot to stop
 

Wed, 23 May              Morning cool and windy   7 AM wooding out of a drift pile   Mr Bates kild one antelope here   Afternoon laid up for wind and wooding   I saw a buffalo coming down to the boat and there was a general rush for the guns and we got in less than no time   How are you beef
 

Thu, 24 May    Morning cool and pleasant   We started at 3 o’clock this AM and it got very windy and blew all day  The Stmr Walter B Dance past up   We did not lose much time today   Came to a swift place and had to cordell through   Swung and lost two achors  
 

Fri, 25 May     Morning very windy   Started at 3 o’clock this AM  Landed at 6 ½ to wood   Stmr Deer Lodge came alongside  the first arrival from Fort Benton this season  We got her anchor   Lost one hour aground   River falling   Wind blowing hard   Got sail up and going a hooping   Landed at the Tobacco Garden for storm   Laid up all night 10 miles above
 

Sat, 26 May     Left this morning early  Wooded before breakfast   Went around a big Bend at dinner time   Got good wooding inthe evening  Stmr Jennie Brown and Peter Balen came in sight 6 PM   Laid up with Jennie Brown   Bolen gone on
 

Sun, 27 May    Morning cold but not so windy   Lay forty miles below Ft Union   Wooded today in a cottonwood deadening with Peter Balen at 12 M
 

Mon, 28 May              Morning beautiful   Wooded three times this forenoon   Landed at 8 & left at 12 M   Got good ash wood here   Stmr St Johns past down at 11 AM   River rising and swift
 

Tue, 29 May    Beautiful day  No wind   Wood scarce  Saw some floating ice today   We run all last night
 

Wed, 30 May  Beautiful day   Run all day   Wooded three times   We run all last night   I shot one antelope today   Stmr Waverly past down at 11 AM
 

Thu, 31 May    Pleasant day   Left the Mouth of the Milk River at 6 AM   Wooded and arrived at Fort Copelin at 10 AM   Took 8 cords of wood at 8.00 and left   Past SB Tacony 5 miles above aground   Got good cottonwood this eve above the Dry Fork
 

Fri, 1 Jun         Beautiful day  We run all last night and past Stmrs Only Chance and Favorite laid up   Put D.M. Jellette on SB Only Chance  Have run all day   Past the Round Bute at 6 PM   Wood plenty  Wooded three times today
 

Sat, 2 Jun        Beautiful weather   Run all night   Plenty of wood below Mussell Shell   Landed at the Mussell Shell at 8 PM and went on   Run all night
 

Sun, 3 Jun       Cool morning   It rained some last night but did not stop us from running   The Stmr Wm. J. Lewis past down today at 12 M   We run all night
 

Mon, 4 Jun      Weather cool   We run all night  Came to Cow Island at 6 this morning   Wood is scarce and river scarce  It sprinkled rain today  We laid up for a while for wind
 

Tue, 5 Jun        Beautiful day   Ladi up last night and cleaned boilers below Budds Rapids  Had to warp over and it took us to 12 M to get over   Stmr Mollie Dozier past down  Wood scarce since we left Mussell Shell   Budds Rapids   Rock on the left
 

Wed, 6 Jun      Laid up all night just above Lone Pine Rapids   Lone Pine Rapids  Hill on Left bank   Had to warp twice today   This evening I think we are at Council Ground   There is island   Wood getting more plenty   Laid near the Mouth of Judith all night   Wood plenty
 

Thu, 7 Jun       Weather daMp   Wooded below the Mouth of Judith until 10 AM   Arrived at Drowned Mans Rapids at 11 ½   Got over at 2 ½ PM   It is very swift and say 200 yards long   Hill and cliff of rock on left hand bank   When we get up to a dead pine we will be over  
 

Fri, 8 Jun         Laid all night below Arow River   Burnt boilers and did not get away this morning until 9 AM   Past Arow River at 11 ½   Stmr Marcella past down here
 

Sat, 9 Jun        Weather cold & windy   Wood very scarce   We have not run far today   Very desolate country   The river is not so swift today   We laid up all last night
 

Sun, 10 Jun     Cold and rainy   Laid all night st the Mouth of Marias   Past Mouth at 9 AM    Wood scarce and played out  Stmr Big Horn past down at 2 ½ PM   Rained all day
 

Mon, 11 Jun    Arrived at Fort Benton at 2 ½ PM                
 

Mch     1         Day
Apl      30
May     31
June     10 1/2
72 ½    up stream

 

 

Tue, 12 Jun      Quite cold in FtBenton

We, 13 Jun      Got the freight out today

Thu, 14 Jun     Settling up   Biz to go to St Louis

 

 

The steamers sighted during the trip on the Missouri were:

 

Down River

 

Luella
Helena 
David Watts
Tom Stevens
Lillie Martin
Sunset 
Agnes
Huntsville 
Morion
Jennie Lewis
Peter Balen
Tacony
Iron City 
David Watts
Cora
Big Horn
Waverly
Mary McDonald
St Johns 
Nellie Rodgers
Gallatin 
Deer Lodge
Ontario 
Elk Horn
Cornelia
Sam Gaty
Colorado
 Emalie
J.H. Lacey
Mary Davage
 

 

 

Fri, 15 Jun       Left Ft Benton this morning 6 ½ Am bound for St Louis   Fine day   Can see snow on the mountains   Met the SB Luella at Mouth of Judith   Laid up for the night a 8 ½ PM in the woods                                

Sat, 16 Jun  Cool morning   Laid last night at Dry Point   Past Mouth of Mussellshell at 9 AM  Met Stmr Helena 10 miles above Round Bute 2 PM   David Watts 10 miles below Round Bute

Sun, 17 Jun     Beautiful warm day   Laid last night in the woods   Met the Tom Stevens at ort Coplin  Met the stmrs Lillie Martini  Sunset  Agnes  and Huntsville at Spread Eagle Camp lighting over the bar

Mon, 18 Jun  Fine day with a little shower   Past Ft Union at 2 PM Now laid up for the night in the woods

Tue, 19 Jun  Fine morning but turned windy   Laid up from 12 Pm to 2 ½ PM next day in company with the stmr Morion

Wed, 20 Jun    Cool and snowing

Thu, 21 Jun     ALongside the SB Jennie Lewis taking onboard te 13 th US Inft their supplies etc   W Clinton Major Cmmdg 13 US Infty

Fri, 22 Jun  Left this morning at 5 o’clock for Ft Benton   Run all day till evening   Wooded ½ hour   Landed at 6 PM laid all night and to wood

Sat, 23 Jun  Rainy morning   Started out this morning at ? o’clock  Met Peter Balen & Tacony going down   Landed for storm at 12   Left at 1 ½   Had to warp throuogh Anchor Point   Landed for wood at 6 ½ PM   Laid up for night @ 9 ½ PM   Rained hard today

Sun, 24 Jun  Wind bound in the woods all day   Started out at 6 ½ PM   River rising

Mon, 25 Jun  Left this morning at 3 o’clock   Landed alongside the Iron City at 7 Am   Was wind bound until 4 PM   Weather cold

Tue, 26 Jun  Started out this morning at 3 o’clock   Landed at 12 ½   Left again at 1 ½   Laid up for wind until 4 PM   Weather cold

Wed, 27 Jun    Beautiful morning    Wooded at 9   Wooded again at 2 PM   Landed again at 5 PM until 8 below the cutoff in te cottonwood deaening

Thu, 28 Jun     Run all last night   Arrived at Ft Union at 3 o’clock   Wooded ¾ of an hour this PM   Laid up for the night at 8 PM to clean out boilers

Fri, 29 Jun       Started out at 4 o’clock   Lost 2 ½ hours fixing mud valve   Wooded 3 hours this PM   Laid up for the night at 10 o’clock                                   

Sat, 30 Jun  Started this Am at 4 o’clock   Landed for wind at 8 ½ AM   Was wind bound all day   Got splendid wooding

Sun, 01 Jul  Started this morning at 4 ½   Weather quite cold   Kild buffalo this morning before breakfast   River falling   Laid up for the night at 9 ½ PM

Mon, 02 Jul  Started thsi Am at 4   Laid up at 11 ½ to fix the coupling   Left at 3 PM   Pat Fort Coplin at 9 PM   Laid up for the night at 10 ½ o’clock

Tue, 03 Jul  Laid last night   Left this OM at 4   Steamer Lillie Martin

Wed, 04 Jul     Beautiful day   Laid up last night below Around Bute   David Watts past down this AM at 5 ½   Run all day   Laid up at 7 o’clock PM to wood  clean out boilers and stop leak in one of the flues   Was aground 2 1/2/hours today

Thu, 05 Jul      Started this morning at 5 1/2/ o’clock   Was aground ½ hour this AM   Landed at 1/2/ to 11 AM for wood   Left 12 ½ M   Windy   Landed at 5 PM for wood

Fri, 06 Jul        Left this morning at 4.15   Past Mouth of Musselshell at 6 ½ AM   Past Fort Smith 3 PM   Laid up at 7 PM to wood and for all night

Sat, 07 Jul       Started this morning at 5 o’clock   Wooded some before we started   Landed for wood at 6 ¼   Stmr Agnes past down   Left ¼ to 11   Wooded from 3 to 4

Sun, 08 Jul      Started this morning at 4 ¼   Laid last night on Grand Island  Past Cow Island at 9 this AM   Warped through Budds and Dofans Rapids  Laid up for the night at 10 1/4

Mon, 09 Jul     Started at 4 o’clock this morning   Had to warp once today below the Mouth of Judith   12.15 M  Stmrs laid up awaiting orders Cora Big Horn Iron City Waverly Tom Stevens Mary McDonald

Tue, 10 Jul       Laying below the Mouth of Judith   Started aboce at 3 PM to unload Stmr St Johns arrived from the Mouth of Marias this morning   Stmr Nellie Rodgers past up this PM

Wed, 11 Jul     Morning laying at Camp Cook unloading  The Stmr Huntsville past down at 6 AM   We left the Mouth of Judith at 5 PM  Left the Stmrs Waverly and Mary Macdonald there   Met the Ontario one mile below the Gallatin at the Rip Raps   Deer Lodge just over Dofans Rapids 35 days out of St Louis   Laid up at 9 ½ five miles above Cow Island

Thu, 12 Jul      Started this morning at 4   Landed at 3.15 PM for wood   Left again at 7 ½   Laid up at 9 ½ PM for the night with the St Johns and Big Horn  Three months today since John left us

Fri, 13 Jul        Started this AM at 4   Past Round Bute at 7 AM   Past Dry Fork at 12 M   Landed below Ft Coplin at 1 ½ PM   Laid all afternoon wooding   Had a heavy storm

Sat, 14 Jul       Started this morning at ?   Past Milk Rive 5  Stmr Ontario past us at 9 AM   Laid up last night below Ft Coplin   Was aground one hour today   Broke the wheel and lost one hour fixing it   Landed at Ft Union for the night at 10.15 o’clock

Sun, 15 Jul      Started this morning at ?   Landed at 8 Am for wood   Left at 10   Landed for wood at 2 ¼   Laid all afternoon and night

Mon, 16 Jul     Left at 4 this AM   Landed and got 5 cords of cut wood at @7.00 per cord   Landed at 9   Left at 10 ½   Past Fort Rice 2 o’clock PM   Landed ½ hour   Landed at 4 ½ for wood   Laid all night

Tue, 17 Jul       Left this Am at 4.15   Landed at 8 ½ for wood   Not good   Went on   Landed at 9   Left at 10 ½   Past Fort Rice 2 o’clock PM   Landed ½ hour   Landed 4 ½ PM for wood   Laid all night

Wed, 18 Jul     Started this morning at 3.45AM   Landed one hour this PM for wood   Laid up for the night at 9 PM

Thu, 19 Jul      Started this morning at 4   Landed above Ft Sully and got 10 cords of cut wood   Got wind bound at 10 AM   Left again at 2 ½ PMLanded again at 3.15 for wind   Started again at 6 ½ PM   Laid up for storm at 7

Fri, 20 Jul        Started this morning at 4 o’clock   Met Stmr Sunset abovr Ft Sully   Landed at Sully at 4.45 and ordered to wait orders   Commenced loading for Camp Sackett at 9 AM   

Sat, 21 Jul       Laying at Ft Sully loading   Stmr Sunset arrived here  Stmr Deer Lodge past down

Sun, 22 Jul      Left this morning at 4 o’clock fro Camp Sackett   Arrived there at 2.4 PM

Mon, 23 Jul     At Camp Sackett unloading   Got unloaded at 4 PM and left for Ft Sully   Landed and got 2 ¾ cords of wood cut at 6.00 per cord   Arrived at Sully 8 PM

Tue, 24 Jul       Laying at Ft Sully loading   Got 8 cords of cut wood 6.00 per cord from Lue 

Wed, 25 Jul     Left Ft Sully at 9 ½ o’clock with a load of frt and 100 soldiers  Landed at Harneys Winter Quarters and got 3 cords of cut woo at 6.00 per cord   Landed for a storm at 5 PM   Left at 5 ½   Again landed for a storm at 5 PM   Left at 5 ½   Landed again for the storm at 6   Started at 7 again

Thu, 26 Jul      Started at 3 o’clock this morning   Arrived at Camp Sackett at 6.45 AM and commenced unloading

Fri, 27 Jul        Left Camp Hackett at 1 ½ Pm   Landed at Ft Sully at 4 ½   Stormy   Left at 5 ½   Landed at 7 below Sully and laid all night   Got 40 cords of cut wood from Lue

Sat, 28 Jul       Started this morning at 7.20   Was aground half an hour   Past Crow Creek Agency at 3 PM   Plenty of cut wood

Sun, 29 Jun     Started at 5 o’clock   Broke the mud drum pipe by striking a bar at 5.20   Got repd and left at 12 ½   Broke the wheel at 3.15  Got repaired at 5.15 and started  Swung against the bank and broke it again   Had to lay here all night

Mon, 30 Jul     Got repaired from last night’s brake up and left this morning at 4.15 o’clock   Landed at Eleven Mile Island and got 6 cords of wood at 4.50 per cord   Got aground one hour and 20 minutes   Landed at Fort Randall at 11 MA   Left at 12 ½ P   Laid up for the night at 8 PM

Tue, 31 Jul       Left this morning at 4 ½   Landed at 8 AM   Got 6 cords of wood   Got wind bound here and did not get away until 4 o’clock PM   Laid up for the night at 9 o’clock

Wed, 01 Aug              Started this morning at 3 ½   Arrived at Sioux City at 9.15   Left at 10.15   Arrived at Nichols Wood Yard at 5 ½ PM   Got 18 cords of wood at 3.00 per cord   Laid here all night

Thu, 02 Aug    Started this morning at 4 ½  Met Stmr Elk Horn above Omaha   Landed at Omaha at 12 M   Left at 3.45   Laid up at Melville  Left SB Cornelia at Omaha   Laid up at 8

Fri, 03 Aug      Started this morning at 4 AM   Met SB Sam Gaty   Laid up for wind at 11 AM   Left at 5 PM

Sat, 04 Aug     Started this morning at 4 o’clock   Arrived at St Jo at 8 AM   Boats in port Colorado Emalie J.H. Lacey   Left at 9.15

Sun, 05 Aug    Started this AM at 4   Met Mary Davage in Grove Point   Arrived at Lexington 8 AM   Arrived at Boonville 7.15 PM

Mon, 06 Aug  Arrived in St Louis at 10 PM

 

                        4 months & 10 days out

 

Tue, 07 Aug    In St Louis settling up through Friday 10

 

Sat, 11 Aug     Left St Louis at 9 PM for Cincinnati

Sun, 12 Aug    Arrived at Cairo 3 PM   Landed at Mound City to fix mud drum   Left at dark   Buried Mr John S Nicklin just above Metropolis, Ills

Mon, 13 Aug  Arrived at Paducah at 8 AM   Laid all night just above Shawneetown Ill

Tue, 14 Aug    Beautiful morning   Just past Mouth of Wabash   Arrived at Evansville at 4 o’clock PM

Wed, 15 Aug              Took 600 bushels of coal at Canelton Ind this morning at 5 o’clock   Price 9¢ per bush

Thu, 16 Aug    Arrived at Louisville at 4 AM   Left at 1 PM for Cint

Fri, 17 Aug      Arrived at Cincinnati at 2 PM

Sat, 18 Aug     In Cincinnati

Sun, 19 Aug    Left for Georgetown at 8 PM

Mon, 20 Aug  Arrived at Georgetown at 2 PM

 

Tue, 21 Aug    Went to Island Run

Wed, 22 Aug              At home

Thu, 23 Aug    At home

Fri, 24 Aug      Went to Pittsburgh

Sat, 25 Aug     At Pittsburgh   Left for home

Sun, 26 Aug through Wed 29   In Georgetown

Thu, 30 Aug    On the town

Fri, 31 Aug      and Saturday, September 1   At Island Run

Sun, 02 Aug through Fri, 14   In Georgetown

Sat, 15 Aug     Arrived this PM in Fairview, Hancock Co West Va

Sun, 16 Aug    Went to church at Topes School House in the evening

Mon, 17 Aug  Left for New Cumberland West Va

Tue, 18 Aug    In New Cumberland

Wed, 19 Aug    Arrived in Georgetown

 

Fri, 05 Oct       Shipped on Stmr Rob Roy

 

 

 

 

 

 

References. 

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[1]  The Ewing Family Paper, Thomas S Calhoon’s Book 1866, Box 5, Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA.