CREATOR: Kishmar, George
DATE: ca 1870 - 1995
SCOPE: George Kishmar Collection of Missouri, Gasconade and Osage River Life and Work contains materials relating to the life and works of Mr. Kishmar revolving around river life and work on the Missouri River and its towns. The collection consists of manuscripts by Kishmar as well as related newspaper clippings, correspondence, notes, and excerpts from related works. The subject matter of the collection revolves around Missouri River navigation and work, as well as river signalling, the Army Corps of Engineers, floods, and Mr. Kishmar's life.
HISTORY: George Kishmar was born in 1910 at Chamois, Missouri, to parents John and Marie Dolana Krcmar. George's parents floated down the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, in a houseboat in 1910. They made a living from farming and livestock raising, as well as from the river, by fishing, and working, in John's case, as a ferryman. John Krcmar was also a river freight agent from 1904-21. They had 13 children in all, 8 of which lived to adulthood. George had an eighth grade education when he began his career with the Corps of Engineers in 1927, at the age of 17, constructing willow mattresses. He later worked as a Corps pile driver, and then ran reconnaissance surveys, retiring at age 55 in 1965. George was a president of Chamois Lion's club and a member of the Osage County Historical Society. He compiled four works; The History of Chamois; Osage County and its Three Rivers; My Experiences and Years on the Missouri River; and Facts and Events of the Missouri River. George was wed in 1933 to Edna Bernice Plaster and had a son and two daughters. He died at the age of 89.
EXTENT: 1.0 Linear feet 1 legal-sized Hollinger clamshell box
ACCESS: This is collection P-36. This collection is available for on-site use only in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the collection may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, depending on condition. Researchers are advised to call ahead concerning changes in hours due to University intersessions and holidays. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building. More information about conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page.
RESTRICTIONS: None
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is "From the collections of the Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.”
INVENTORY
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Steamboating on Missouri's Rivers (photocopied excerpt); Osage River; Hope Valley Newsletter; Steamboats (photocopied images); "Osage County, Missouri. It's Three Rivers" (manuscript and correspondence); "I Had a Part in Taming the Wild Missouri River. My Life, Career and Comments on the Missouri River" (manuscript, George Kishmar); Excerpts from Steamboating Sixty Five Years on Missouri Rivers (Capt. William L. Heckmann, 1950); "Missouri River, Shaped by Glacier and Man" (manuscript, George Kishmar); Excerpts from Taming the Mighty Missouri (Corps of Engineers. Kansas City District); Correspondence, USACE.
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Excerpt from work on US Army Corps of Engineers; Pilot's Report - Missouri River, 1930; "40th Meeting Missouri River Basin Inter-Agency Committee on the Missouri River (Jefferson City to Mouth)", by Missouri River Division - Corps of Engineers, 18 May 1950.
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"My Experiences and Years on the Missouri River" by George Kishmar. (w/ correspondence, notes, clippings, Missouri River Odyssey Group, USACE working papers)
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"Facts and Events of the Missouri River" by George Kishmar
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Missouri River; Osage River
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John Krcmar - genealogical documents
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"Missouri River Journal". Summer, 1980. Vol 2, No. 1. Published by the Missouri River Society; Steamboating on the Gasconade River
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George Kishmar (articles and history); Flood Stages Jefferson City, Chamois, Hermann 1844-1995; Misc. Manuscript Pages re: George Kishmar, bridges, river signals
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Clippings re: Steamboats, Corps of Engineers Snagboats, Steamboats, Dredges; Woven Willow Mats; Houseboats; Bridges; Chamois, MO; St. Louis & Hermann Packet Co.; Downstream Tariff List (ca. 1920); Barges; Tows.
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"Facts and Events of the Missouri River"
