World War I; Soldiers; Railroad stations; Inductees; Madison; People; Railroads
Here a group of ten men pose at the Madison, Indiana railroad depot. The tags indicate they are inductees for service in WWI. Perhaps the older couple, to the far right, have come to say good-by to one of the gentlemen.
This is a photograph of the old Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Dupont, Indiana. The wooden crates stacked beside the depot are egg crates ready to be put on the train. Two gentlemen stand in the doorway. It is surmised that the one on the left...
Built in 1902 in Dubuque, Iowa, she was the largest towboat ever built. Her early beginnings, however, were rocky. On her maiden voyage she collided with a showboat and only a year later had to have her engines replaced. It was difficult for...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Stern wheelers; Greene Line; Madison-Milton Bridge; Ohio River
Built in 1925, this was the second "Chris Greene" of the Greene Line. One can see the Madison-Milton Bridge in the background on the left hand side; it was built in 1928. The first "Chris Greene" was lost in the great fire at Cincinnati in...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Marks and Benson; ice gorge; Steamboat accidents
The "Loucinda" was built in 1910 and was one of the casualties of the 1918 ice gorge that claimed several boats in Cincinnati. The inscription says, "Marks and Benson, American Boy excursion to Fern Grove, July 13, 1910.
The "Belle of the Bends" was built in 1898 and in 1909 she sank and was raised for the first time. A year later she again went under and was raised. She ran as an excursion boat in New Orleans in 1910 and 1911. Soon after she was overhauled and...
The "Hattie Brown" was built in 1884 and made a regular run from Warsaw to Madison, Indiana and back daily. She was converted to an oil engine in 1915; two years later she was lost in the terrible freeze of 1917-1918 when the Ohio River froze for...
Maps; Horse railroads; Steamboats; Lanier, J.F.D.; Hanging Rock Hill, Indiana; Rowboats; Madison, Indiana; Ohio River
This is an inset from an old map (no date given); in it you can see steamboats on the Ohio River along with three men in a row boat. On the shore horses pull the quaint little train along the track. The house to the far left that is partially cut...
According to Harry Lemen, this coal oil wagon was fifty-three years old in 1927 and the owner, Paul Meyers, was its twenty-third owner. In the late 1800s and early 1900s coal oil, or kerosene, was much in demand. Its primary use was for lamps and...
Excursion steamer; Steamboats; Riverboats; "East St. Louis"; "Virginia"; "Steel City"; "Island Belle"; "Greater New Orleans"; "Washington"
The"East St. Louis", shown here on one of her excursions, was originally built as the "Virginia" in 1895 at Cincinnati and was later called the "Steel City". She was renamed the "East St. Louis" in December 1916. At that time her owner was the...
Steamboats; Showboats; Riverboats; "Grace Devers"; Towboats; Tugboats; Levees; Otto Hitner
The "Cotton Blossom" began life in 1896 as a raft for a lumber company working out of St. Paul. She handled the large excursion barge named "Mississippi" at one time, was renamed "The Princess" and was then sold to the Barrett Line for use as a...
Coal oil wagon at the Vernon Street watering trough. In the late 1800's and early 1900's coal oil, or kerosene, was much in demand. It was used for, among other things, lamps and heating. One obscure use was as a deterrent to chiggers while...
Robert Fulton was one of the early inventors and entrepreneurs of steamboats. For a detailed article about Robert Fulton, see our webpage at www.rivertorail.mjcpl.org/.
The timbers for a new hull for the "G. W. McBride" are being transferred to the mule drawn carts. They seem to be waiting for more mules before continuing. One can get a better view of the rear of the old freight station in this photograph. This...
The inscription on the old picture reads, "Madison & Milton Ferry Landing--1908." The landing at Madison and the ferryboat, "Trimble" looked much like this during the winter of 1917 and 1918 when some of the worst weather of the century hit much...
If the "Delta Queen" was the swan of the Ohio, then the "Kentucky" was the Little Mud Hen. According to Way's Packet Directory, "the cabin was shifted out of plumb and leaned in a uniform stagger creating an optical illusion seen nowhere else...
The formal opening of Dr. George E. Denny's new Hillside Hotel took place on June 10, 1924. The main entrance opened into a beautifully furnished lounge. The bedrooms were equipped in "the most modern way and complete in every detail." The...
