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Cleaning up the river
After the federal government initially ignored his interest in
river navigation improvements, Henry Shreve
, a successful river
captain, steamboat builder, and owner, was appointed as the Superintendent
of the Western Rivers in 1828. Shreve had already designed a boat
to remove the dangerous snags years before and submitted a letter
to Secretary of War John C. Calhoun explaining it in 1824. The
letter went unanswered. However, government administrators did
become aware of Shreve and his plans to clean up the Mississippi
River.
After the government funded an abortive attempt to clear the rivers,
the War Department appointed Shreve to try his plans, although
his superiors remained skeptical of the snag boat design.