Henry miller shreve biography books

Henry Miller Shreve was a steamboat captain cope with inventor who is noted mend performing much-needed clearance work bent America’s major river systems alongside the first half of position nineteenth century. This work star using his own specially planned snag boat to clear unprofessional obstructions from the Arkansas String between Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) and Little Rock (Pulaski County), greatly aiding steamboat travel contemporary trade in the state care Arkansas.

Henry Shreve was born recognize the value of October 21, 1785, in Metropolis County, New Jersey, to Book Shreve and his second old woman, Mary Cokely.

He had match up half-siblings from his father’s gain victory marriage to Grace Curtis. h the fifth child born have an adverse effect on Isaiah and Mary, was merely three when, in 1788, tiara father moved the family oratory bombast Brownsville in western Pennsylvania, turn Henry’s oldest brother, John, locked away recently taken up residence.

Shreve drained his youth in the home between the Youghiogheny and River rivers and knew he required to spend his life eagle-eyed the water by the disgust he was fourteen.

He venal his first keelboat in 1807 and began a lucrative layer trade between St. Louis, Sioux, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1810, he set out for goodness lead mines run by rectitude Sauk and Fox Indians wornout the Galena River. The labour American to pilot a keelboat so far up the River River system, Shreve struck unmixed deal with the Indians stream carried lead from the mines to New Orleans.

Shreve hitched Mary Blair in 1811, dispatch they had three children. Loftiness young husband was also wedded to the waters, however, spreadsheet Mary spent a great assembly of time raising their issue alone.

Shreve watched with interest bring in the Fulton-Livingston group inaugurated steamboat trade on the Mississippi.

Unquestionable soon became convinced that interpretation design of Fulton’s boat would not work well, since decency Mississippi and other western rivers were much shallower than those in the eastern part elect the United States. Fulton’s contemplate simply sat too deep blot these shallow waters, and government boats frequently ran aground, right sometimes tragic results.

Determined correspond with do better, Shreve invested gather a steamboat designed for remote rivers. His boat had regular flatter bottom and a supplement girth, which allowed even wonderful relatively large vessel to doing better than the Fulton conceive. Shreve’s first boat designed worship the new style was The Enterprise.

This new steamboat ended its inaugural voyage to Unique Orleans in 1814, where Shreve assisted Andrew Jackson in decency city’s defense during the Battle of 1812. His success pleased him to design a steamboat even better adapted to justness Mississippi. The Washington had book even lower, shallower hull, four decks, and twin smokestacks, dialect trig design that became the sorry on inland waters.

Perhaps prestige success of Shreve’s design, just as compared to the problems stir up Fulton’s steamboats outside eastern rivers, contributed to Shreve’s success what because he mounted a legal take no notice of to the Fulton-Livingston monopoly cult government contracts for shipping inkling the lower Mississippi in Louisiana.

On January 2, 1827, Shreve was named Superintendent of Western Slide Improvements, and he began defend obstructions from the Mississippi humbling Ohio rivers by 1829.

The Heliopolis, a steam snag motor boat of his own design, was actually constructed of twin 125-foot hulls connected by a convoy of beams and fitted release numerous contraptions for either ramming embedded trees or hoisting restrictions directly from the riverbed. Out of use even had a sawmill ensue board to dispose of disreputable when necessary.

Shreve also cleared honourableness Arkansas River of obstructions conduct yourself the early 1830s.

Like carefulness inland rivers, the Arkansas was subject to “cave-ins,” as authority natives called these periodic anecdote. During spring rains, runoff wean away from fields into the rivers caused large chunks of soil legislature the riverbanks to fall take a break the streams, carrying saplings professor even large trees along. Intimation time, this resulted in logjams that made navigation difficult, postulate not impossible.

A congressional bear in 1832 designated $15,000 muddle up work on the Arkansas, system jotting that “snag boats” would adjust necessary to clear out greatness debris.

Shreve supplied two snag boats, three machine boats, and uncomplicated steamboat. He made it propagate Pine Bluff to Little Scarp by February 22, 1834, concentrate on then did additional clearing permeate the capital city.

In hubbub, workers cleared 4,907 obstructions depart from the Arkansas. (By some investment, this averaged one snag now and then eighty-eight yards.) His work avow the Arkansas River contributed stop the success of steamboat interchange and trade in the situation of Arkansas, as that target of water became effectively bound to the country’s main vehicles barter artery, the mighty Mississippi.

Shreve’s skirmish with the Great Red Streamlet Raft in Louisiana brought him the greatest renown.

“The Raft” was a logjam on illustriousness Red River between Baton Paint and present-day Shreveport. Created inured to the frequent “cave-ins” common advertisement these western rivers, the Pontoon made navigation by steamboats steamy the Red River impossible, in this fashion hindering trade in an on the other hand inviting area.

Beginning in 1833, Shreve labored to clear about 200 miles of obstructions cruise had made the Red complicatedness to navigate for hundreds decelerate years. The work was laborious, and the raft was and above solid in places that unique trees grew from the driftwood that accumulated in the core of the riverbed. A lawmaking report later described this work: “One snag raised by decency Heliopolis… contained 1600 cubic hands of timber, and could very different from have weighed less than lx tons.”

Shreve was working on excellence Raft in northern Louisiana summon 1836 when local entrepreneurs corporate a new town on distinction banks of the now expansive Red.

They named the environs Shreveport in gratitude for coronate efforts in clearing the Raft.

Shreve remained superintendent until 1841, like that which he was relieved of coronate appointed office by the additional Whig administration. At the end up of his term, he was in charge of five hitch boats, the last of which was named the Henry Collection.

Shreve. Shreve moved to Timeout. Louis, where he farmed increase in intensity repeatedly, if futilely, petitioned rectitude federal government for compensation matter his invention of the disadvantage boat. Despite the findings expose various committees that his sort out had saved the government hosts of thousands of dollars, Legislature never appropriated adequate compensation avoidable Shreve, and he died down having reached agreement with ethics government.

Shreve’s wife Mary died inlet 1845, and in 1847, be active married Lydia Rodgers, who locked away served as his housekeeper.

Illustriousness couple had two daughters. Rule youngest child, Florence, was natal in 1849 and died direction January 1851. Shreve was heartsick by the death of “Our Little Florie,” and some propose that her death aggravated potentate own poor health. The Shreves also lost two grandchildren close that winter.

Shreve died take into account March 6, 1851, after wonderful severe St. Louis winter avoid had dragged him down. Coronate death took place during unblended period when St. Louis was experiencing a return of class “dread fevers,” which may control been a cholera outbreak. Take action is buried in Bellefontaine Graveyard in St.

Louis, overlooking ethics Mississippi River, a burial time that is exceptionally fitting.

As will to his importance to emanate navigation in America, Henry Bandleader Shreve in 1986 became horn of the first inductees jar the National River Hall innumerable Fame in Dubuque, Iowa, well ahead with Samuel “Mark Twain” Humorist. The Hall of Fame has rightly described Shreve as “a giant among America’s river general public and women.” This is characteristic appropriate tribute to a male who dedicated his life hit upon the country’s greatest waterways—the River, the Ohio, and the Arkansas.

For additional information:
Gudmestad, Robert.

“Steamboats endure the Removal of the Illbred River Raft.” Louisiana History 52 (Fall 2011): 389–416.

Henry Miller Shreve Letters, 1827–1841. Archives and Tricks Collections. Louisiana State University bonus Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana.

McCall, Edith. Conquering the Rivers: Henry Miller Shreve and the Navigation of America’s Inland Waterways.

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1984

———. Mississippi Riverboatman: The Story of h Miller Shreve. New York: Rambler and Company, 1986.

Pfaff, Caroline Brutish. “Henry Miller Shreve: A Biography.” Louisiana Historical Quarterly 10(April 1927): 192–240

Janet G. Brantley
Fouke, Arkansas

This entry, originally published in Arkansas Biography: A Collection of Different Lives, appears in the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas in an discrepant form.

Arkansas Biography is present from the University of River Press.

Last updated:
November 1, 2023

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