About the St. Joseph Packet "Gomer"

Missouri River Steamboats . . .

In 2003, I was looking for a unique gift for my research partner, Jim, and did not have much money to spend. There was a scrap piece of 1”x12” board about seventeen inches long, that had a knot hole in it, just laying around for no particular purpose. So, I decided to get “creative”. Now please keep in mind that I nearly flunked out of the only art class I ever took!

With a little help from pictures I found in a book and my scanner, I used a wood-burning tool to do all the outlines of the boats, and the shore line. Then, I colored it with watercolors and sprayed a clear coat to seal it. If you look closely, you can see the grain of the wood in the “bluff”. The knot-hole became a “rock”!

The name on the boat is fictional--it utilizes Jim’s nickname, GOMER. The village in the background is also fictional, although it closely resembles a picture I’ve seen since of early St. Joseph, Missouri. (I was actually shocked at the similarity! But I assure you, I had not seen the other picture before I drew/wood-burned this one!)

The picture became Jim’s Christmas present that year. Sadly, Jim passed away in 2006, leaving behind extensive notes on Missouri River steamboats which I am still working to complete. I am very grateful for all the hard work he did, and for the fact that I have this picture to remind me of him and the good times we had researching the steamboats. It also serves as a reminder of the promise I made him that I would finish what he started and make our research available to others.

"Steamboat Granny"

Home of MoRiverSteamboats.com and MoRiverSteamboats.org