Commodore W. F. Davidson commenced steamboating on the Upper Mississippi in 1856 with the Jacob Traber. In 1857 he added the Frank Steele, and included the Minnesota river in his field of operations. In 1859 he added the Æolian, Favorite and Winona. In 1860 he organized the La Crosse & Minnesota Packet Company, with the five above named steamers in the line. In 1862 the Keokuk and Northern Belle were added.
In 1864 the La Crosse & Minnesota and the Northern Line Packet companies were consolidated under the name of the Northwestern Union Packet Company, with the following steamers: The Moses McLellan, Ocean Wave, Itasca, Key City, Milwaukee City, Belle, War Eagle, Phil Sheridan, S. S. Merrill, Alex. Mitchell, City of St. Paul, Tom Jasper, Belle of La Crosse, City of Quincy, and John Kyle. This line controlled the general trade until 1874.
There were upon the river and its tributaries during the period named the following light draught boats: The Julia, Mollie Mohler, Cutter, Chippewa Falls, Mankato, Albany, Ariel, Stella Whipple, Isaac Gray, Morning Star, Antelope, Clara Hine, Geo. S. Weeks, Dexter, Damsel, Addie Johnson, Annie Johnson, G. H. Wilson, Flora, and Hudson.
LATER NAVIGATION ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.
The Northwestern Union Packet Company, more familiarly known as the "White Collar Line," from the white band painted around the upper part of the smokestacks, and the Keokuk Packet Company, sold their steamers to the Keokuk Northern Line Packet Company, which continued until 1882, when the St. Louis & St. Paul Packet Company was organized. Its boats were: The Minneapolis, Red Wing, Minnesota, Dubuque, Rock Island, Lake Superior, Muscatine, Clinton, Chas. Cheever, Dan Hine, Andy Johnson, Harry Johnson, Rob Roy, Lucy Bertram, Steven Bayard, War Eagle, Golden Eagle, Gem City, White Eagle, and Flying Eagle.
STEAMBOATING ON THE ST. CROIX.
The steamer Palmyra was the first boat to disturb the solitude of the St. Croix. In June, 1838, it passed up the St. Croix lake and river as far as the Dalles. The steamer Ariel, the second boat, came as far as Marine in 1839. In the fall of 1843, the steamer Otter, Scribe Harris, commanding, landed at Stillwater. The steamer Otter was laden with irons and machinery for the first mill in Stillwater. Up to 1845 nearly every boat that ascended the Mississippi also ascended the St. Croix, but in later years, as larger boats were introduced, its navigation was restricted to smaller craft, and eventually to steamboats built for the special purpose of navigating the St. Croix. Quite a number of these were built at Osceola, Franconia and Taylor's Falls. The following is a list of boats navigating the St. Croix from the year 1852 to the present time: Humboldt, 1852; Enterprise, 1853; Pioneer, 1854; Osceola, 1854; H. S. Allen, 1857; Fanny Thornton, 1862; Viola, 1864; Dalles, 1866; Nellie Kent, 1867; G. B. Knapp, 1866; Minnie Will, 1867; Wyman X, 1868; Mark Bradley, 1869; Helen Mar, 1870; Maggie Reany, 1870; Jennie Hays, 1870; Cleon, 1870.
A number of raft steamers, built at South Stillwater and elsewhere, have plied the river within the last ten years. A number of barges were built at South Stillwater, Osceola and Taylor's Falls.
The passenger travel on the St. Croix has decreased since the completion of the railroad to Taylor's Falls and St. Croix Falls.
An interesting chapter of anecdotes and incidents might be compiled, illustrating the early steamboat life on the St. Croix. We find in "Bond's Minnesota" a notice of one of the first boats in the regular trade, which will throw some light on the subject of early travel on the river. It describes the Humboldt, which made its first appearance in 1852: