Mississippi steamboats
Antebellum river vessels
Mississippi steamboats were paddle-wheel vessels that dominated commerce and passenger travel on the Mississippi River and its tributaries from the 1820s through the Civil War era.
These flat-bottomed boats, powered by steam engines turning large paddle wheels, could navigate shallow waters while carrying cotton, grain, and passengers between New Orleans and upriver ports.
The steamboat era shaped river towns and Southern culture, immortalized in Mark Twain's writings.
The Mississippi steamboats represented the height of antebellum luxury and commerce.
- antebellumBefore a war's start
- paddlewheelRotating blades propelling vessels
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- cotton tradeExchange of fiber crop
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Large passenger vessels
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Oar-driven small craft
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Rail line spanning continent
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