The Western River Steamboat

Written by a nautical archeologist who has learned well the research methodologies of historians, The Western River Steamboat chronicles the evolution of steamboats on western rivers between 1811 and 1860. In the context of this study, "western rivers" are those west of the Appalachian Mountains, for the vessels studied operated primarily on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries.

Author Kane states in his introduction that "The steamboat was the primary agent in transforming the trans-Appalachian West from a sparsely settled wilderness into an economically significant region of the country." Most historians of the West will agree with this declaration, as few developments can compare with the steamboat in their economic impact on the region.

Historians have written volumes on steamboats and steamboating because of this significance, but few of them have understood the details of their evolution and their construction. Having investigated historic steamboat wrecks and having analyzed the remains that survived from them, Kane brings to the study of these vessels the trained eye and intellect of the archeologist. Combining written sources, archeological evidence, and historic photographs, he provides insights into these vessels and their development that no one else has been able to synthesize.

Kane explains to readers how steamboat builders adapted their vessels to the conditions that they found in the wilderness of the trans-Appalachian West. The formerly deep-draft steamboats of the East became shallow-draft vessels across the mountains, where rivers were often shallow and filled with driftwood "snags." The builders of these vessels enhanced their usability in the West by fitting them with high-pressure steam boilers, which weighed about 60 percent less than the low-pressure boilers used in the East, thus making it possible for them to have more shallow draft. These boilers consumed large amounts of wood as fuel, but the boatmen viewed the forests along the rivers in the West as having inexhaustible supplies of this inexpensive fuel.

Historic photographs, engravings, and easily understood drawings assist readers in understanding the technical aspects of this book. It also includes a helpful glossary, tables of known Western river steamboats with their specifications, and carefully prepared endnotes and bibliography.

Adam I. Kane, combining expertise in both nautical archeology and history, has shared insights into the Western river steamboats that will benefit all scholars working in the region and time period.