DATES: October 1881
CREATOR: John Porter
EXTENT: One file folder
SCOPE: This collection contains a rare, illustrated broadside advertisement and table of distances for the Boonville Steam Ferry. The Boonville Steam Ferry was owned and operated by Captain John Porter for 4 decades, from the 1850s until his death in 1891. Porter had a monopoly on Boonville ferry services during his tenure, and his best-known boat was the Birdie Brent, which ran from 1871 to 1887. The illustration on this broadside is a detailed woodcut of the Birdie Brent, which was described as “the largest new Ferryboat west of St. Louis.” Boonville is situated across the Missouri River from the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail at Franklin and was a major hub for steamboat travel across that river starting in the 1830s and spanning several decades thereafter. The advertisement shown in this broadside is a table of distances from Boonville to other cities, including St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis.
ACCESS: This is collection P-144. 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
One 17 ¾” x 12”
