Steamboats on the Wabash

As early as May 15, 1819, the Western Star, a newspaper printed in Vincennes, reported that Thomas Emison ran a keelboat for freight up and down the Wabash River. By 1831, approximately 1,700 flatboats, and keelboats propelled by oars descended the Wabash along with the steamboats. The Western Star of Vincennes reported on April 2, 1840, that over 100 flat boats had already passed on the Wabash that season.

In the days before the Civil War, navigable rivers were the main arteries of traffic.  A thriving commerce was carried out between the river towns of the north and south.  Most of the river towns grew and prospered until the building of the railroads. When the Wabash River, Lawrence County's eastern boundary, was high, the steamboats took advantage of it. For almost nine months of each year, the 512-mile Wabash was navigable northward to Lafayette. A set of locks built on the Indiana side across and north of Mount Carmel assisted boats navigate over the rapids. 

The sheer number of steamboats on the Wabash in the 1830's was impressive. Accidents on the river were frequent and would have been the subject of conversation along the riverfront in Lawrence County.   Races among steamboats were common even on the Wabash. All of the old-time packets on the Wabash had bars and did a lively business along the river and among the passengers. To learn more about this forgotten part of Lawrence County History or Steamboats on the Wabash, see our book Water Water Everywhere. Also, John King has compiled additional information and several photos of steamboats on the Wabash and even one on the Embarrass. These can be found at the Research Library.

Steamboats didn’t just disappear after the train tracks were laid across the county. Business as well as “pleasure excursions” kept the boats running between Russellville and Vincennes.  Because no trains ran to or through Russellville, farmers had no way except horse and wagon or the vessels on the river to get their grain or produce to market.

The ties between Vincennes and Russellville were stronger for shopping and socializing than between those of Russellville and Lawrenceville. Rarely does one find ‘gossip’ in the Lawrence County newspapers about people from Russellville visiting Lawrenceville.  When the river was high and the steamboats were running it cost less than a dollar to hop aboard and visit family ‘down river’ at Vincennes.

Russellville took advantage of the excursions by providing a nice picnic area and the merchants welcomed the visitors.  On April 30, 1872, the Vincennes Weekly Sun ran an article about an excursion to Russellville. Capt. “Van Sickle’s new and elegant Wabash packet, ‘B H Hurt’, carried a party of 50 or 60 excursionists from the city to Russellville, a distance of 16 miles, and back, last Sunday afternoon. The scenery along the river between here and Russellville, just at this season is most captivating to the eye. The varied hues of the forest foliage, the green grass and the bloom of fruit orchards on the farms, combined with 1000 other attractions, make up a panorama of enticing beauty. A few miles from Russellville, on the up trip, we met the steamer ‘Vigo’ coming down with the barge load of wheat, Capt. Tindolf standing on the roof, waving a cordial greeting to the festive party on the boat. Once arrived at Russellville, the boat halted long enough to take on a few hundred bushels of corn and give the party time to walk the streets and admire the stately public buildings and palatial private mansions in this newly incorporated ‘sucker city.’”

On April 13, 1877, a flat boat propelled by horsepower was one of the novelties at the Vincennes wharf. She was to run between that place and Russellville regularly and was owned by parties in Russellville. The Rev. L Catt was the builder.

On November 29, 1877, readers learned that Wm Pinkstaff has just completed the building of a boat at Russellville which would plough the Wabash. But according to the paper four months later, on March 21, 1878, the Pinkstaff boat known as the ‘Russellville’ which had been running between Russellville and Vincennes, the past few months, was tied up at Vincennes, by H.H. Flusher, of Hutsonville, for debt. By May 21, 1878, the boat was in the hands of the sheriff. The following March 1879,the ‘Russellville’ was sold at a  US Marshal’s sale and was purchased by Capt. Allen Tindolph who paid $313 for her. Capt. Tindolph purchased her for the machinery and did not intend to run the boat on the Wabash.

A few years later, on June 25, 1880, the newspaper editor published a description of another nighttime ride on the little steamboat named the ‘Belgrade’ that was not only a ‘freighter’ but also an excursion boat from Vincennes to Russellville: “The loveliness of the night was all that could have been desired.  It was sublimely beautiful, and those who did not attend missed the picturesque scene of the season.  The steamer pulled out near the foot of Main Street in Vincennes with gallant Captain Tindolph on the deck and Felix the every faithful Pilot at the helm at the rate of 12 miles an hour passing the great dense forest like bends around which nature has caused the beautiful and historical stream to take its course.  The soft silvery moonlight flooded the thick woods on either shore, and from the upper deck the waiving wheat field appeared as gardens of snow, while on the cool and invigorating breeze, ambrosial fragrance wafted from every side.”

Other articles talking about excursions to Russellville were found by researchers. (Vincennes Daily Commercial July 5, 1888) “The largest delegation, perhaps, was the crowd that attended the excursion up the Wabash River on the steamer ‘Crown Point’, given under the auspices of the Methodist Church. Early in the morning those who wanted to go to avoid the heat were hastily summoned to the foot of Broadway by the loud whistle of the steamer at Vincennes. A large crowd went up to Russellville, where they landed while  the boat returned for her second load of pleasure seekers. The crowd in the afternoon was much larger. The ‘Crown Point’ started at 1:30 and made the trip to the picnic grounds at Russellville. Refreshments were served on board the boat and on the grounds. The passengers had free use of the fine piano in the saloon of the Crown Point. Sweet strains of music enlivened the passengers on every trip. It was a nice quiet orderly crowd. Capt. Tindolph was the pilot.

 And this article (Vincennes Daily Commercial December 28, 1889): “Three different parties are now endeavoring to get the right of way as it were to run a daily packet between Vincennes and Russellville. Capt. Hochman of Henderson, Kentucky is here endeavoring to make arrangements to start the run with a neat little craft. The steamer ‘J H Russell’, Capt. Barres of Lafayette, is here ready to establish the line. Russellville parties are also negotiating for the purchase of a boat intending to ply the Wabash daily between Vincennes and Russellville. Vincennes people will always regret the loss of the pretty little steamer Crown Point. Everyone regretted seeing her leave.”

Freight shipments on railroads gradually absorbed the bulk of business that had once belonged to the steamboats and gradually all the packet boats began to disappear off the river.  The ‘Janie Rae’ was the last large steamboat to quit the Wabash River.  She began operating on the river during the 1870s as a packet boat and up to the early 1890s was used as an excursion boat.