Idaho history: Remembering the days of steamboats when they navigated Northwest rivers
“The Steamboat — How it Progresses.” The Idaho Tri-weekly Statesman reported on Feb. 17, 1866: “Captain Gates, who has been in town for a few days, tells us that the boat at the mouth of the river is going ahead finely. The frame is up and ready for planking. The cabins will be commenced next week and in three weeks more will be nearly finished. The boilers and engines and all the heavier parts of the machinery is on the ground, and the engineers will soon begin to put it in place.
“Captain Gates will start in a day or two for Umatilla with Creighton’s teams, to bring up what necessary machinery and furniture was left behind. It is the intention to have her ready to run the middle of April, and certainly by the first of May. This is good news to those who feel an interest in the progress of the material interests of our territory. Those who pay most attention to the subject are firm in the belief that this little boat will form a link in steam communication between the Columbia River and Salt Lake at no distant date.”
On May 17, 1866, the Statesman reported: “Gone from our gaze. The editor of this institution and several other bon tons have gone to see the Snake River steamboat. We will venture to say they had a good time, the engine performing admirably, the boat rode high and dry over the rapids and is a success beyond all question, although the trip will not be made until tomorrow. The steamboat puffs them down the river and the editor puffs the steamboat up. We propose to run on an even keel during the old man’s absence, and wouldn’t stop much to run on both sides of any question. If the paper should prove to be more interesting than usual our readers will please excuse us, for there is no harm intended.
“Mr. Gates, Chief Engineer of the Oregon Steam Navigation Co., came up on the Umatilla stage and took the boat yesterday morning. He expressed himself well satisfied with the way the Shoshone performed and was surprised to find so beautiful a river to navigate. It was not the intention to go further up the river than this place at the time, but Captains Myrick and Gates determined last night to try the unexplored water above this place. Accordingly, they took on board forty cords of wood.”
There can be little doubt that those steamboat pioneers were dreamers, for one of them told the Statesman, “The first link in the chain of steam communication to be made continuous at no distant date between Salt Lake and the Columbia River was welded today.” It never happened, even though steam railroads would make the connection years later.
On Jan. 1, 1867, an ad appeared on the front page of the Statesman: “STEAMBOAT NAVIGATION On Snake River. The New Steamer SHOSHONE, Gray, Master. Will leave Olds’ Ferry for Owyhee Landing Thursdays and Sundays at 9A.M. For Freight or Passage apply on board. Fare either way is $10.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 6:30 PM.