Montana (steamboat)
Encyclopedia
The Montana was a Missouri River
stern-wheel steamboat
, one of three "mega-steamboats" (along with its sister boats the Wyoming and the Dakota) built in 1879 at the end of the steamboat era on the Missouri—when steamboats were soon to be supplanted by the nation's expanding railroad
network. It was 250 feet (76.2 m) long (excluding the paddle wheel
) and 48.8 feet (14.9 m) wide and weighed 959 tons (870 tonnes), excluding cargo. For a while the Montanas size allowed it to compete with the railroads, but the railroads continued to close the gap. On June 22, 1884, the Montana met its fate when it collided with a railroad bridge near Bridgeton, Missouri
. To allow its cargo to be unloaded, it was beached on the Bridgeton side of the river, where in the following years its rotting hulk was repeatedly buried and uncovered as the banks of the river shifted.
In the winter of 2001–2002, unusually low water levels in the Missouri exposed the remains of the Montana for the first time since the mid-1960s, and the State Historic Preservation Office of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
contracted SCI Engineering, Inc., of nearby St. Charles to monitor and photographically document the remains. The following autumn, at the invitation of Dr. Steve J. Dasovich, head of SCI's Archaeological Services Division, members of East Carolina University
's Maritime History Program conducted an excavation and investigation of the wreckage.
The Montana was the subject of the History Channel's
Deep Sea Detectives
episode "Skeleton in the Sand: The Montana" in September 2003 and was featured in the Wild West Tech
episode "Biggest Machines in the West" in December 2004.
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
stern-wheel steamboat
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, one of three "mega-steamboats" (along with its sister boats the Wyoming and the Dakota) built in 1879 at the end of the steamboat era on the Missouri—when steamboats were soon to be supplanted by the nation's expanding railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
network. It was 250 feet (76.2 m) long (excluding the paddle wheel
Paddle wheel
A paddle wheel is a waterwheel in which a number of scoops are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several usages.* Very low lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source....
) and 48.8 feet (14.9 m) wide and weighed 959 tons (870 tonnes), excluding cargo. For a while the Montanas size allowed it to compete with the railroads, but the railroads continued to close the gap. On June 22, 1884, the Montana met its fate when it collided with a railroad bridge near Bridgeton, Missouri
Bridgeton, Missouri
Bridgeton is a city in northwestern St. Louis County, Missouri, serving as a suburb and transport hub within Greater St. Louis. The population at the 2010 census was 11,550. Portions of Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport are within Bridgeton.-Location:...
. To allow its cargo to be unloaded, it was beached on the Bridgeton side of the river, where in the following years its rotting hulk was repeatedly buried and uncovered as the banks of the river shifted.
In the winter of 2001–2002, unusually low water levels in the Missouri exposed the remains of the Montana for the first time since the mid-1960s, and the State Historic Preservation Office of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources of the government of the U.S. state of Missouri consists of the Division of Environmental Quality, the Division of Geology and Land Survey, the Division of State Parks, the Environmental and Energy Resources Authority, and the Field Services Division....
contracted SCI Engineering, Inc., of nearby St. Charles to monitor and photographically document the remains. The following autumn, at the invitation of Dr. Steve J. Dasovich, head of SCI's Archaeological Services Division, members of East Carolina University
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
's Maritime History Program conducted an excavation and investigation of the wreckage.
The Montana was the subject of the History Channel's
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
Deep Sea Detectives
Deep Sea Detectives
Deep Sea Detectives is a television show on The History Channel. The show began airing in 2003.In a post dated September 1, 2006 on the Deep Sea Detectives message board, series producer Kirk Wolfinger stated that the show would not be renewed for another season.- External links :* *...
episode "Skeleton in the Sand: The Montana" in September 2003 and was featured in the Wild West Tech
Wild West Tech
Wild West Tech was a program that aired on The History Channel in the United States. The show was originally hosted by Keith Carradine , but his brother, David Carradine took over hosting duties for season 2 and subsequent seasons...
episode "Biggest Machines in the West" in December 2004.
Further reading
- Corbin, Annalies, and Bradley A. Rodgers, "Steamboat Montana (1879–1884)—Leviathan of the American Plains", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 36:1 (March 2007), pp. 59–74.
- Corbin, Annalies, The Steamboat Montana and the Opening of the West: History, Excavation, and Architecture (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008). ISBN 0-813-03254-7