Bicentennial of Steamboating - Celebration in 2011

Riverworks Press Release
23 September 2010

You are all invited to attend a meeting on October 27 to help plan celebrations to promote the bicentennial of steamboating in 2011.  Please help promote the meeting by forwarding to your contacts.  I hope to see you all there!

Thanks,

Errin Howard
513-451-5027
513-403-9312 (cell)
http://www.riverworksdiscovery.org


2011 will be the 200th anniversary of the first successful steamboat trip down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans.  Nicholas Roosevelt and crew, along with his wife and child, made this historic voyage on the steamboat New Orleans from Pittsburgh to New Orleans between October 1811 and January 1812.  While on the river they witnessed the New Madrid earthquake, the Great Comet of 1811, threats of Indian attack, dangerous low-water conditions, and the natural phenomenon of a massive squirrel migration in the Ohio River region. While on the Ohio River, the boat proved its worth by navigating upstream against the current.

 The success of the steamboat revolutionized travel in America, and had tremendous impact on the economic, cultural, and scientific development of the United States, and also played a major part in the Westward movement in the 19th century.  In a few short years, dramatic increase in river commerce would lead to the growth of cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, and St. Louis, as hundreds of steamboats plied the inland rivers system.  Today’s huge diesel-powered towboats with barges carrying thousands of tons of cargo, have evolved from the steam-powered vessels of the 19 th and 20th centuries.  Two centuries after this transforming event, few people are aware of the significance of this journey in American history and how it still affects our lives today.

 The Rivers Institute at Hanover College, Indiana, is playing a lead role in the development of programs, events, and activities to celebrate the steamboat bicentennial in 2011.  A steering committee of historians, writers, and river enthusiasts has been formed to coordinate the celebration.  A brochure describing the 2011 Steamboat Celebration is included with this letter.  You can become familiar with the Rivers Institute and the steamboat project by going to http://rivers.hanover.edu and clicking on “STEAMBOAT CELEBRATION.”

 Regional meetings have been held in several cities on the Ohio River, attended by representatives of historical organizations, agencies, libraries, and museums.  The purpose of the meetings is to encourage attendees to work together to plan their own commemorative events and programs in their communities.

On October 27, 2010, the Institute will host a meeting for the Pittsburgh, PA/Wheeling, WV area to discuss plans for the bicentenary celebration.  Numerous organizations, agencies, and individuals have been invited to attend. The meeting will be held at 10 am until noon at the Ohio County Public Library, 52 16th St., Wheeling, West Virginia.

We invite you to attend this important meeting. Please join us to learn how you can become involved in celebrating a very historic event in American history.

If you are able to attend, please let us know via email to rih@hanover.edu.  We look forward to seeing you in Wheeling on October 27.