Overview

During the 1800s Americans developed the foundation for commerce and future economic growth. Steamboats were what drove American commerce in the 1800s and into the early 1900s until the 1950s when steamboats were no longer profitable. Boats in the inland rivers transported everything: lumber, oil for lamps, coal, cotton, and every type of farm animal and crop. Steamboats carried mail, and at a time before radio, TV, and movies, they provided entertainment. In the 1950s John Knoepfle set about interviewing some seventy workers who had spent their lives on steamboats, packets and towboats. They were captains, pilots, boat owners, show boaters, night watchmen, mates, roustabouts, lock masters, packet cooks, among others. As told in their own words, this is the true story of steamboating. This is an important and authentic part of American history.

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9780989724296

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John Knoepfle (pronounced know-full) is the author of twenty-five books. His poetry has been published in many magazines and anthologies. His most recent works, Walking in Snow, Shadows and Starlight, The Aloe of Evening, and an autobiography I Look Around for my Life, were published by Pearn and Associates, in Colorado. Knoepfle was professor emeritus of literature at the University of Illinois, Springfield. His awards include fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; as well as the Mark Twain Award for Contributions to Midwestern Literature from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature; Author of the Year Award from the Illinois Association of Teachers of English; and the Literary Heritage Award from the Illinois Center for the Book. More information can be found on his website: johnknoepfle.com.

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