The Charlotte Boeckler - Photo courtesy of
Murphy Library Special Collections,
University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse
Steamboats and the American Bottom region
Steamboats brought Illinoistown and St. Louis a variety of new
ventures. Steamboats
needed fueling stations and a means of transporting their goods
once ashore. The local ferry operations were a natural fit, developing
shore facilities for steamboats and already possessing the ability
to quickly move goods across the river at low cost. By 1828 the
Wiggins operation had converted its ferries to steam, taking advantage
of its renovated facilities and the fairly low cost of constructing
a steamboat.