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Steamboats on the Osage
River
 The
Osage River, formed by the conjunction of the Little Osage and Marais de
Cygnes rivers, is the largest tributary of the Missouri River within the
state of Missouri. Originating in eastern Kansas, it flows easterly for
more than 300 miles before its waters spill into the Missouri River some
twelve miles below Jefferson City. Due to the hilly terrain through which
it passes, the river's channel is very crooked and its flow is extremely
uneven, with many shallow riffles and shoals.
When steamboats began traveling on the Missouri river in 1819, the region
south and west of the Osage was still largely wilderness with only sparse
white settlement. The area near the mouth of the Osage was considered by
steamboatmen to be a particularly dangerous section of the Missouri river.
The THOMAS JEFFERSON, which was part of the government's Yellowstone
Expedition, sank in the Osage chute in 1819, becoming the first steamboat
to fall victim to the treacherous Missouri.
The initial attempt to navigate the Osage was made in 1837. A St. Louis
firm chartered the AMERICAN, a small side-wheeler commanded by Captain
Lusk for the trip. The boat left St. Louis in April, 1837, traveled about
100 miles up the Osage and returned without notable difficulty. The second
boat to venture into Osage waters was not as fortunate. The NORTH ST.
LOUIS began her journey in late July, 1837--the hottest, driest time of
year. Her operators intended to go as far as Osceola but the trip was cut
short when she ran aground about 45 miles above the mouth of the Osage.
The water level dropped so rapidly that the boat was left high and dry on
a gravel bar. The owners were forced to leave the stranded boat there
through the winter until spring rains brought water levels up and
refloated her.
From 1837 until the building of Bagnell Dam in 1929 steamboats plied the
Osage despite the tight bends, fluctuating water levels and other hazards.
There were constant struggles to obtain funding from the government for
river improvements, and the majority of work done to make for easier
navigation was on the lower sections of the river. The upper-river ports
of Osceola and Warsaw never realized the full potential of commerce which
would have accompanied better conditions. As happened with steamboat trade
on the Missouri river and other of its tributaries, steam boating on the
Osage became less of a factor in commerce after the advent of railroads.
The last boat to be operated on the Osage was the HOMER C. WRIGHT which
was built at Tuscumbia in 1920. It was sold to the Union Electric Company
of St. Louis in 1928, and was used to ferry workers to the Bagnell dam
construction site.
Approximately 135 boats which were in operation on the Osage between 1837
and 1929 have been documented thus far. We hope to discover additional
boats and more detailed information about them with further research.
Check back later for stories about the Osage steamboats. |