Riverboats of the Upper Mississippi
Many riverboats plied the upper Mississippi to and from Aitkin in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Some of them are described below. They are listed in chronological order as much as possible. You can view a gallery and slideshow of these and other riverboats who came through Aitkin by clicking here or on any of the photographs below. If you have any more information on these or other upper Mississippi riverboats to share, we would love to hear from you.
The Pokegema (1870 - 1877) was a stern-wheeler built in 1869-70 by Captain George Houghton. This craft operated as far south as Fort Ripley and as far north as Pokegama Falls at Grand Rapids. The Pokegama burned on November 12, 1877, after having been taken out of service for the season. Dimensions: L - 100' W - 24' D- 2'
The White Swan (1870) was a side-wheeler built in Brainerd by Alsop & Mahlum. Summer and fall trips were impossible so it was dismantled and shipped to the Red River of the North under the name of Pluck.Dimensions: L - 70' W - 16' D- 3'
The City of Aitkin (1878 - 1883) was built in 1878 by Captain George Houghton for service between Aitkin and Grand Rapids. In 1879 it made only five trips because of low water. It carried 120 passengers and 150 tons of freight. On September 4, 1883, it began to list and finally sank at its dock due to falling water level in the Mississippi. Dimensions: L - 120' W - 22' D- 2'
The Fawn (1882 - 1894) made the trip to Grand Rapids and back in one week. For its final two years it was used by Weyerhauser Co. towing logs and breaking log jams. In 1894 it struck a snag below Swan River and sank.Dimensions: L - 85' W - 14' D- 3' The stern wheeler Andy Gibson (1883 - 1892) was built by Edward Lowell, Lee West and Fred Bonness. It was constructed during the winter of 1883, reaching 130' in length. The boat apparently drew only 12 inches when unloaded and 24 inches fully loaded. Later, when her length was extended to 140', she could haul 150 passengers and 100 tons of freight. She caved in many banks of the river as she was too long for the sharp bends of the river. Her captain and builder was Captain Bonness. Captain Bonness stayed with the Gibson until 1886 when one of her three co-builders took the helm. She was purchased by Potter Co. in 1891 and was used in logging operations. She was retired in 1892 and her machinery was removed and the boiler was used in the heating systems of the Potter store. Dimensions: L - 140' W - 32' D- 2' |
The George Houghton (1886 - 1889) was a small stern-wheeler built in 1886 for the Wright Mercantile Company. This craft operated between Aitkin and Grand Rapids. It burned two miles above Aitkin in 1889 where it had frozen in the ice. Some refer to the site as Clark's Portage. The Houghton was named after its owner who lived in Minneapolis and spent considerable time in Aitkin and the surrounding area. He was ambitious and when the new city of Grand Rapids was laid out, Houghton platted a subdivision know appropriately as Houghton's Addition to Grand Rapids.
The Swan (1894 - 1898) was burned at the mouth of the Ripple River. Its captain was Captain Wm. Hay. The steam sternwheeler The Lee (1911 - 1921) was built in 1911 from the wreckage of the Irene. In 1911, its first year of service it carried 1,500 tons of freight and 1.050 passengers. The Lee was named after Captain Charles D. Viebahn's wife (her maiden name). The Lee was a smaller boat with only one deck. In the summer of 1917, Captain Viebahn sold the Lee to Marcus Nelson of Sandy Lake, to be used as a general purpose craft and log boom tow to replace the old headwork's raft on Sandy Lake. according to William F. Punteney, The Lee sank near Gyda's mill at the mouth of the Mud River (Ripple River) when the ice smashed the hull during spring breakup. The boat was finished. It was later raised and stripped down to the hull, which was repaired and towed upstream by Harry Riggs to be operated as a ferry in Verdon Township. It did not operate very long and eventually the hull of the "Lee" was left to rot away on the river bank. |
The Walter E. Taylor (1895 - 1899) was built in 1895 by James Taylor and the Cluff brothers for service between Aitkin and Sandy Lake. It was so small it could not run against a stream filled with logs. It was the first steam boat to travel through new swinging bridge in Aitkin. The boat was overloaded while at Sandy Lake and sank at the mouth of the Sandy Lake River. It was raised and continued in service. There is no mention of the Taylor after 1899. It reportedly sank at its dock in Aitkin.
The sternwheeler Irene (1889 - 1909) had three incarnations over ten years. The first Irene was built in 1898 by Viebahn and Tulley. Unfortunately it burned soon after it was built. The second Irene (1900 - 1901) was built in 1900 by Charles Viebahn and William Ponteney. It met the same fate, burning at her dock in August of 1901. Her Captain was severely burned in the fire. The third Irene (1902 - 1909) was rebuilt by Charles Viebahn and William Ponteney. Named for Irene Hodgedon, the boat was owned by the Mississippi Transportation Company. Photographs of this boat show she was equipped with two enormous searchlights similar to those used on railroad locomotives. Interestingly, few boats ran at night in order to avoid snags or other hidden perils lurking just beneath the dark river water. In 1906 the Irene carried 5,500 passengers and 6,000 tons of freight. Sank at Verdons landing in 1908, raised and sank a second time in 1909. She was dismantled and rebuilt as a smaller boat called the Lee. |
The Remnica (1903 - ?) was a screw steamer built in 1903 for the Finnish Colonization Company. The Remnica drew too much water and had difficulty crossing the rapids in the Mississippi above Aitkin. The launch machinery was dismantled and the boat moved by log sled to Mille Lacs. Ostensibly renamed Idlewild, she was later sold and taken by flatcar to International Falls for service on Rainy River. After 1921 her hull was stripped and used as Ferry in Verdon Township.
The sternwheeler The Oriole (1908 - 1918) was built in 1907 by Viebahn and Punteney for service on the Mississippi. The Oriole was launched in June of 1908. She measured 35 feet from the water line to the top of her twin stacks. She had a capacity of 60 tons and in a year carried 1,700 passengers and 1,500 tons of cargo valued at $100,000. Close-up photographs show she was equipped with electric lights including a searchlight on the pilot house and port and starboard running lights along the side. In 1911 she was purchased for $3500 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and equipped as a dredge boat. The Oriole's dredging equipment consisted of a modified stiff-leg derrick mounted at the forward end of the lower deck, a 3/4 yard three-leaf orange peel bucket was attached to the derrick and the machinery for operation of the bucket for pulling snags was housed aft. The dredge machinery was later removed and the boat sold in 1918. The Oriole was towed into Sandy Lake where she was beached and used as a resort hotel. Known as The Ark, the riverboat turned resort building was later demolished in 1941 and the lumber salvaged. |