![]() ![]() For a brief period of time, steam paddle-wheelers ruled the waterways.ĭuring the heyday of river travel, the Mississippi River quickly became an active trading route, attracting men with money. Adding steam to these paddle-wheelers began in the 1850s, and was a real boon to the economy since these boats could travel at the breathtaking speed of five miles per hour. ![]() Technology improved at a rapid pace over the next several decades, and the paddle-wheel boat with its low draft became a standard on the water to haul freight and passengers. It promised to take people and belongings from New Orleans to St. The first steamboat to offer passage to guests was the New Orleans riverboat, 116 feet long and weighing 371 tons. The Missouri was the more treacherous of the two, with its fast currents and shallow waters, so the bulk of the steamboat traffic was on the mighty Mississippi. Louis, but covered the distance from Washington State to Missouri. Most notably, the Mississippi River, which ran from Minnesota to New Orleans, and the Missouri River, which intersected with the Mississippi in St. As early as 1811, steamboats began to navigate the inland rivers of the United States. ![]()
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