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Steam boats could travel at a speed of 5 miles per hour, this quickly revolutionize river travel. Steam boats dominated water ways in the southern states, as a quick way for people to get together. Kids as young as 7 years old would pilot small steam boats.
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IN 1805 Oliver Evans, launched his own version of a steam wagon/steamboat. Evans created the contraption out of an automatic flour/ milling frame. He called the contraption orukte-amphibolos.
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Robert Fulton successfully traveled down the Hudson River. Hudson traveled from New York to Albany and back. This provide the practicality travel for steamboats.
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In 1811, the Fulton-Livingston company dominated major water ways. American ship yards were constructing vessels for anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000. The Fulton-Livingston company would then pilot the vessels throughout the water ways.
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The first steamboat to travel the Alabama rivers was called the Alabama. It was built in St. Stephens Alabama and launched in 1818, on the Alabama River. Alabama's rivers quickly became major waterways connecting the Eastern rivers with the Western.
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In 1831, Ben Millam conducted the first tri-state voyage using the Enterprise. He first voyage to Mexico to deliver supplies to Fort Towson. He then journeyed Shreve port Louisianan, to visit his family.
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In the 1850's, the Arkansas river was growing increasingly populated. Due to this the number of ports on the Arkansas river increased from 4 to 32. This increase lead to an increase in jobs, population, and Arkansas as a whole.
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On the Ohio river in 1868, two steamboats collided. The disaster occurred near Warsaw Kentucky. The disaster resulted in a loss of life and property damage.
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The Tunica Queen is the largest steamboat in the world. Built in 1878, it used to travel the Mississippi river. It is no longer in use today.
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Steamboats have been in competition with Rail Roads as early as 1830's. At this time there were only 23 miles of track in the United States, this small amount of track didn't provide much of a competition. However by the 1880's there were about 93,000 miles of track in the United States, which heavily out weighed the usefulness of waterways.
