Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, February 8, 1903, Page 28

Early Day Freighting on River and Trail TEAMBOATING on the Missouri was discussed at length by the State Historical soclety at {ts | recent meeting at Lincoln and several very interesting pepers . were read. One of these was by Willlam L. Kennedy of Omaha, who told of the local interest in the topic Omaha was at one time quite a lively steamboat port . during the palmy days of the ‘“river,” and came to be a most important transfer point While the great tide of trans ( continental commerce prior to the build- ing of the Union Pacific railroad flowed over the routes from 8t. Joseph and Leav- enworth, and later from Kansas City, Omaha got its share in time. The rush to California in “the days of gold, the days of old, the Gdays of '49," came tuo early for Omaha, as the first settlement was not made here until a very decided ebb In that tide had developed, but when the Mormons were driven from Illinols and Missourl, and were geeking the promised land in the west, their footprints wore a trall that has since become famous. In the spoor of Brigham Young has flowed for nearly half a century the greater part of that enorm ous traffic that sprung up between east and west with the development of the empire on the Pacific coast Years before the building of the Union Pacific road, while the project was yet being considered as chimerical, the ploneers had awakened to the fact that at Omaha is the gateway, and through this gateway the stream of traffic has constantly grown in bulk since that far off day when the supremacy of St. Joseph a8 a point for crossing the treacher- ous river was first assailed by the venture- some Mormons who had pushed as far as Councll Bluffs, or Kanesville, as it was then known, and who declined to allow a few hundred yards of deep and muddy water to block their further progress. For at least two centuries bLefore the rallroad drove the steamboat from its muddy bosom, the Missouri was a great ar tery of traffic Along it floated the raft of the Indian, the batteau of the French courier du bois, and later the flatboat of the ploneer American who passed west, ‘‘the first low wash along the shore” of that great human sea which came with the steamboat and the railroad. To explore the Missouri river and determine its feasi- bility as a route for commerce to the great northwest was the primal object of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition; later de Blenville, agent for John Jacob Astor, wrote of the possibilities of the giant stream as a carrier of goods, and finally thie invention of Robert Fulton was adapted to put to better use the known capabilities SCENE AT THE OMAHA WHARF AT THE FOOT OF FARNAM STREET DURING THE SIXTIES—From a Photograph Owned by Harry P, Deuel. of the river. A magnificent fleet of vessels FE% e "IhAt breasted the switt outretit in iumh Il‘ from the Overland trail and the were engaged in the business. The trains t(wo wagons constituted a regulation train each. The same price was pald for the tHa ays from 1640 to.1080, and even for u Santa Fe trail, the one running from St. which left the river for the west were gen- and one man was required for each wagon wagon, making the total cost of one of L AGALAs Tater. Tt 18 kllfl“ll.'hfll S501 wiamtds Joseph nn:l Atchison and the other from erally made up for each trip and the driv- In addition each train had a wagon master {hese outfits from $20,600 to $26,000, exclu- EIRERS (Neis SWreikad- durine [ thase ' Yeais Jefferson City and Independence, Mo. Along ers were employed, as are seamen today, and one or two extra men, so that the out- give of the cargo. As some of the com- RIS s dtieohi Datwesn . Omaha and. B, the Mormon trail a great business soouv for the round trip. The trainmasters only fit consisted generally of about twenty-five panies had as many as half a dozen trains Louis: fully 200 south of St. Joseph. These sprung up. Mining discoveries in Colo. had permanent positions, and these men, in men, and the average wages paid on & trip on the road, and there were from eight to ‘r- ‘. ~|-|y A : l: ' -" l’”» ¢ . rado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, addition to their work on the road, usually would be in the neighborhood of $1,250. The ten companies regulariy engaged in the s ""l" under sands of half a century’® anq the rush of gold seekers to those re- had custody of the wagons and cattle while wagons in general use at that time in the business, the aggrezate amount of capital aosumy ation; many of "‘l\‘lll have gone giong made necessary the transportation of in camp preparing for the trip. At first service were “Conestogas,” a form of ve- vng'lgmi‘in 0\"t'r1ar\1; frelzhting w 4 t down in midstream 50 later become an In- ymmenge quantities of-supplies, and Omaha the companies transporting goods were en- hicle which passed from existence leaving i b bl i n-grrnll pnl;( "{.l“ ru:nll-;\l"l. UW“}R to the g the outfitting point in a large degree gaged as common carriers only, but soon nothing of its type. They bore close re- 0 Site o shifting of a channel. Not a few under- ¢,. 41 these freighters, just as St. Joseph they found that they could haul their own semblance to a boat set on wheels, hence | Seaslonally, quring —tiniss - of . Indian takings have been set on foot, having for paq peen for those who had followed the goods to better advantage than those of the name of “prairie schooner.” At the b 8, the government took charge of an end the location and recovery of a val- iher trail to California in the earller days. others and they began to establish jobbing front the Conestcga wagon rose two feet th BED- e ind in some instances uable cargo known to have been lost, but ppis huginess was an extension of the houses whose business was almost entirely or more in the air, and the rear was a the officer oo anding the woldiers would little reward has crowned such endeavors. gioamboating trafc on the river. Goods confined to handling goods across the plains. duplication of the feont. (e sides wers i?‘sii‘ufin b'er:“m ]';‘ ;““ held 1""'” "k‘“”’;n' clien m could ye cecured to make the “ lerily nl :::rrv] 01rl V;"‘IH‘*Y.\:UT lost on the were brought up as far as the shipping When the wagon train was ready to start high and wide, and it was possible to stow . ""“‘l“ ) (‘l ‘,\“‘: : l“ worth Its welght In ;,int—and Plattsmouth and Nebraska City to the west the wagon master would set in their capacious bodies a ton or more of men numerically strong enough, in addi- gold If it could be brought to light again. figured in this, too—and were then trans- about to form his crew. If it was to go to general merchandise, while the loaded |”Ik“ “(;'h;hlllim'} 05 LFS "l‘<h'(‘f".;"; D At ’ ack. On these occasions the freight men While 8t. Joseph held its supremacy as ferred to wagons to be slowly dragged Denver he hired the men at $40 per month, wagon filled to its utmost with boxes and the leading port on the upper river during across the plains to their destination at or $50 for the trip, it being estimated that bales would take on two and nnp.h,flg‘ to steamboat days, Omaha soon grew to Im- one or the other of the camps in the moun- the trip could be made in tairty days, but three tons of merchandise Hitched to portance after the establishment of what tains. the company being willing to riek the extra these wagons were from Sl,’,‘ to elgm'oxfln {s known as the Mormon trail, o distin. Many men with a large amount of capital $10 on the probability of a delay. Twenty- costing at that time an average of n.flfl' (Continued on Seventh Page.) went armed, but generaily they carried no arms of any sort, several of the compa- nies insisting that their men should travel 2%Group at the Speakers’ Table at the Recent Banquet of the McKinley Club of Omaha--Flashlight Photo by a Staff Artist Lol el G