The new waterway of Robert Ellis became the subject of conversation for some time afterwards, and it inspired others to greater activity. The people realized that they must have an outlet, for their produce and cheapen transportation, if possible. It became the subject of serious consideration by the settlers. If this question could be solved, the greatness and importance of the city as a commercial center would be assured. By 1839, keel boats had reached Ivanhoe, and quite a trade was carried on at certain seasons of the year, mostly in the spring, and much grain and farm products were taken away in trade for provisions.
Thus Squire Holmes, the Higley Bros., Daniels & Co., and several others, from Marion and Cedar Rapids, in the early forties built flat boats at Westport and Ivanhoe and traded groceries and other articles the farmers needed for wheat, pork, and other produce. This stuff was shipped in the early spring on flat boats. Sheds were also erected so as to store the grain until such time as the boats could be loaded. Old Henry Rogers also erected a saw mill and shipped a little lumber down the river. It was dangerous and not practical to get the lumber down stream, and the scheme was abandoned.
The first large Mississippi steamer, which came as far as our city limits, was in the month of August, 1844, called the "Maid of Iowa," when a number of settlers and also a part of Mormons came as landseekers.
"The first stream boat at Cedar Rapids was the 'Maid of Iowa' commanded by Capt. Chas. Ross. She landed and cabled to the saw-mill on the 3rd of August, 1844, just as the sun was setting."—Extract from Account Book kept by N. B. Brown.
On this boat was Rev. Isaac Searles, born in 1812, who located in Johnson county in 1842. He gave the first sermon in true Methodist fashion from the deck of the steamer, and talked to a large concourse of people who had assembled from the surrounding country. Each passenger was offered a lot by the enterprising people of the city. As a result of this steamboat venture, a Methodist church was organized at the home of one of the Listebargers. During the next ten years, many large and small Mississippi steamers made the Cedar river points as far as Cedar Rapids, and quite a trade had been established between St. Louis, Keokuk, Burlington and this part of the state.
The last of the large Mississippi steamers, which made Cedar Rapids, was the "Uncle Tobey," of two hundred tons burden, which made her way up here among the brush and overhanging willows in the spring of 1853, and remained at the Third avenue landing for several days, at what is now the Warfield-Pratt-Howell building. When departing, after taking on a large cargo of grain and produce, she steamed up the river and turned down the channel on the west side of May's island. A number of people are still living who remember this steamer and the shouts and waving of handkerchiefs as the steamer glided smoothly down the river and out of sight.
From the Annals of Iowa, Vol. 5, page 401, I quote the following showing the rainfall in this state from 1848 to 1855: "In 1848, 26 inches; 1849, 49 inches; 1850, 49 inches; 1851, 74-1/2, inches; 1852, 49 inches; 1853, 45 inches; 1854, 23 inches and in 1855, 28 inches." Up to 1858, the rainfall was below the average, while during the years from '58 to '59, it was above the average. From the newspapers of that time, it seems that there were a great many floods during the summer months, so that steamboating was common on all the rivers during the entire year until frost came.
The question has frequently arisen, whether or not the rain fall was greater fifty years ago than now, and on the whole, from the old settlers, and from reports, as kept, it would seem to be about the same. All agree, however, that there was more water in the rivers, and they give their reasons as follows: "That the channel of the river was more narrow, and that the rivers were deeper, and free from the mud and the sand, which have now accumulated due to the tilling of the soil. Then the river banks were lined with trees, which protected the water from the rays of the sun, and the sloughs were filled with water all summer on account of the high grass, and all these sloughs, creeks, bayous, supplied the river with water during all seasons of the year, which is now not the case." All the water which fell in those days found its way into the river, which is not true after the ground became cultivated to any extent, so that it has been figured out that only about a fourth of the water finds its way into the river. This, of course, may be one of the reasons why steamboating was possible fifty years ago and is not now.
Of the many enterprising settlers, who came west to make this city their home, there were a number of enterprising, wide-awake and industrious men, who had courage and besides possessed more than ordinary ability along commercial lines. Among these settlers, George Greene, who was a prime mover in every new enterprise, succeeded in organizing a company for the building of a steamboat, to be called the "Cedar Rapids," and to be especially built for navigation upon the Red Cedar river. In this company were, besides Mr. Greene, W. H. Merritt, the Daniels family, Dr. J. F. Ely, Dr. S. D. Carpenter and later, W. B. Mack. A contract was entered into with parties at Pittsburg for the building of a modern steamboat, to be of white oak 155 feet long, single deck, stern wheel, clinker built, to be arranged for freight and passenger traffic, and to draw the least possible amount of water. The contract price for this steamer was $20,000, and it was launched in June, 1858, about three months after the contract was let. It was built at Freedom, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, not far from Pittsburg.
As to the subsequent history of this steamer, I shall confine myself to press notices from the Cedar Valley Times, which will give you an idea of the people and how much interest they took in this vessel, which was to connect them with the outside world. From the issue of July 8th, I find the following: "News has arrived that the 'Cedar Rapids' left Pittsburg July 1st, with 100 tons of freight." From the issue of July 22nd: "The 'Cedar Rapids' arrived from Pittsburg in three weeks, and is around at the dock at Market St. Roman candles were sent up from her decks when she arrived, and the crowd upon the shores saluted her with renewed cheers and with a firing of cannons; below is her Log: 'Left Pittsburg July 1st, at dark. At Cincinnati the 5th; at Louisville the 8th; arrived at St. Louis the 12th; left the 15th; arrived at the mouth of the Iowa river at 11 o'clock, and took in tow, 60,000 feet of lumber; five feet of water in the channel up to the mouth of the Cedar river. Arrived at Moscow Friday evening. Consignees, William Greene, W. B. Mack, H. C. Camp, groceries; L. Daniels, R. C. Rock, Greene and Hay, hardware; W. W. Smith, O. O. Stanchfield, lumber." The article further goes on describing the steamer as follows: "She is 155 feet long, 26 feet wide, and three feet in the hold. She is a stern wheel, 14 feet in diameter, 18 feet long, buckets being 15 inches wide. She is provided with a decker or smaller engine for supplying the boiler with water, also with a smaller engine for hoisting freight out of the hold. All four engines are separate machines. She is also supplied with appliances, such as water gauge, two Evans safety guides, one on each engine, life preservers, fire hose and force pump, in short, everything to make her a first-class passenger boat. The captain is J. M. Andrews, a gentleman who has had much experience with river navigation; the pilot is Albert Wemper; mate, T. Risley; engineers, J. P. Fulton and W. M. Hunter; clerks, J. C. Graves, A. W. Lamb. She had on 300 tons of freight, and drew only three feet of water, and when light, draws eleven inches. She had on board eighty-four passengers."