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The Early History of Steamboats on the Missouri River

Presentation by Historian Barbara Giles

The Missouri River was never kind to steamboats, but for several decades the river served as a highway to the west, with steamboats being the main conduit of settlers and supplies for the western expansion. Barbara Giles will share highlights of this moment in American history and how steamboats played a crucial role in the settlement of the United States.

bodmer-moriver

This painting was done by Karl Bodmer on a trip up the Missouri River on the steamboat Yellowstone in 1833.

Time and Place

Wednesday, October 12, 2016
7:00 pm

Big A's on the Riverfront
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Presentation by Barbara Giles

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

6. p.m. Social Hour at Big A’s Restaurant
7:00 p.m. Presentation

At Big A’s Restaurant (in the back room)
308 N Main St. –  St Charles, MO
(directions below)

Presentation is FREE and open to the public!

Hosted by Greenway Network

A fanciful drawing of the Western Engineer, one of the first steamboats to travel up the Missouri River in 1820.

A fanciful drawing of the Western Engineer, one of the first steamboats to travel up the Missouri River in 1820.

The Missouri River was never kind to steamboats, but for several decades the river served as a highway to the west, with steamboats being the main conduit of settlers and supplies for the western expansion. From the intricate and evolving design of these impossible river crafts to the stories of the people that transformed this dangerous journey up the Missouri River into a phenomena of western movement and shipping, Barbara Giles will share her research into the development of steamboat travel on the Big Muddy.

Famous "mountain" steamboat pilot Joseph Marie LaBarge (1815-1899)

Famous “mountain” steamboat pilot Joseph Marie LaBarge (1815-1899)

Barbara Giles is a retired molecular biologist whose interest in early Missouri River history turned into an obsession of sorts when she discovered that one of her ancestors was famous Missouri River steamboat pilot Joseph M. LaBarge. Her and her husband Roger now own and operate a steel-hulled sternwheel paddleboat named the “Joseph M. LaBarge” which is moored at Cooper’s Landing in Boone County. Her alternate title for this presentation is: “Lessons Learned from My LaBarges:  the Captain and the Sternwheeler”.

Labarge

The sternwheeler named Joseph M. LaBarge is owned and operated by Barbara and Roger Giles out of the Port of Nashville, Boone County, MO. photo by Racin’ Dave Stevens.

Directions

To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.

To get there from I-70

  • Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
  • Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
  • After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
  • Turn left onto N. Main St.
  • Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
  • View on Google Maps.

Resources and Links

Dig deeper for more info on Missouri River steamboating:

Books

News

Links

The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles

is hosted by these wonderful partners:

All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.

A special thank you to Greg Poleski and Mike Garvey of Greenway Network for making this happen!