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In 1769, James Watt patented a version of the steam engine.
(Painting below by Henry Howard, 1797) -
John Fitch got the first patent for a steamboat in the United States in 1791.
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Robert Fulton is considered the father of steamboats because he was the first to make them a commercial success.
(Painting below by Benjamin West) -
Steamboats entered the Missouri River in 1819.
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The years 1855-1860 were considered the Golden Age of Steamboats.
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The struggle between steamboats and railroads occurred in the years 1859-1887.
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In 1879, the Missouri River Commission (a government organization) started making ‘improvements’ on the river, by removing snags, and making the river wider and deeper to facilitate steamboat travel. This help came quite late, because steamboats were at the end of their era.
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The Great Northern Railroad reaches Helena in 1887, which marked the point where railroads finally gained the upper hand.
(Map below by Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States in 1897) -
The Missouri River commission was abolished by Congress in 1902.
