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James Watt's Steam Engine
James Watt patented the first successful steam engine -
First Successful Steamboat
French engineer Claude-François-Dorothée was the first to create a working steamboat in the world. It crossed the Saône River. -
John Fitch
John Fitch built the first functional steamboat in America and successfully crossed the Delaware River. -
Robert R. Livingston
Livingston secured the grant of a monopoly on steam navigation in New York. -
Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston Partnership
Fulton partnered with Livingston to build the Clermont. -
Clermont
The Clermont, 150’ long and 12’ wide, was moored on the East River off Greenwich Village. Its steam boiler belched flame and smoke, powering two paddle wheels. It traveled 5 miles per hour on the Hudson River. -
First Steamboat to Complete Travel on Mississippi River
The New Orleans was built at Pittsburgh. It was the first steamboat on western waters and it steamed down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. The fee was $30. -
Enterprise
"Henry Shreve and Daniel French build the Enterprise, the fourth steamboat on western waters. Andrew Jackson confiscates the boat to move military supplies during the Battle of New Orleans. The Enterprise is the first steam vessel to make the return trip from New Orleans to Louisville" ("Two Centuries on the Ohio River"). -
Washington
Henry Shreve created the Washington, "the first grand steamboat of the era and prototype for the 'floating palaces' of later years" (Haven). "The design of the WASHINGTON would set the pattern for all future steamboats, with a shallow hull, horizontal boilers on the main deck, passenger cabins on the second deck, twin smokestacks and a pilot house" (Schlect). -
Erie Canal
Erie Canal, completed between Albany and Buffalo, established an all-water route between New York City and the Great Lakes. -
Homestead Act
"The Homestead Act, a law signed by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862...Using astronomical starting points, territory was divided into a 6-mile square called a township...The township was divided into 36 sections...Economic prosperity drew unprecedented numbers of immigrants to America, many of whom also looked westward for a new life" (The Homestead Act of 1862). -
The Morrill Act
"The Morrill Act committed the Federal Government to grant each state 30,000 acres of public land issued in the form of “land scrip” certificates for each of its Representatives and Senators in Congress...Major universities such as Nebraska, Washington State, Clemson, and Cornell were chartered as land-grant schools. State colleges brought higher education within the reach of millions of students" ("Morrill Act of 1862."). -
Beginning of Hudson River Day Line
Alfred Van Santvoord and John McB. Davidson began offering day-boat services between New York and Albany. -
The Sultana Tragedy
"The worst maritime disaster in American history occurred . . . when the steamship Sultana exploded and burned on the Mississippi River while dangerously overloaded with passengers. . . . The exact death toll remains unknown. Though the official number of deaths is recorded as 1,547, modern historians believe the number could be as high as 1,800, making the Sultana disaster even more terrible than the better-known Titanic tragedy" (Kinsall). -
The Interstate Railroad is Founded
"It consisted of 5 3/4 miles of single track, 1 used locomotive, 1 day coach, 1 baggage car, 1 combine car, 3 boxcars, 2 flat cars and a section car. The tracks to the mines and ovens were under the control of the VC&I Company" (The Interstate Railroad History). -
Hendrick Hudson
A “new steamboat for the new century”, the Hendrick Hudson was launched into service by the Hudson River Day Line as the first “million-dollar” boat. -
Peter Stuyvesant
Steamer Stuyvesant entered into service and became the last of the great boats built for Hudson River Day Line. -
End of Hudson River Day Line
The Hudson River Day Line is greatly hurt by the Great Depression and America’s love affair with the automobile. The Day Line had its last run from Albany to New York City, ending regular steamboat service between these cities. -
Federal Aid Highway Act (FAHA) of 1956 is Signed
"The FAHA provided for federal funding of 90% of the cost of the Interstates, with the state contributing the remaining 10%. The interstate highway plan would create 42,000 miles of limited-access and very modern highways...The Interstate Highways that were created to help protect and defend the United States of America were also to be used for commerce and travel" (Interstate Highways- An Overview of Interstate Highways). -
The Old Bay Line
The last U.S. overnight steamboat passenger service goes out of business. -
FAHA is Completed
The plan for the Interstate Highway system was to complete all 42,000 miles within 16 years (by 1972.) Actually, it took 27 years to complete the system. The last link, Interstate 105 in Los Angeles, was not completed until 1993...the Interstate Highway was a major impetus..and along with the Interstates came the problems of congestion, smog, automobile dependency, drop in densities of urban areas, the decline of mass transit" (Interstate Highways- An Overview of Interstate Highways). -
Steamboats Today
Steamboats changed America. Steamboats were widely used in the U.S. until the railroad arrived in the mid-to-late 1800's. Nevertheless, steamboats can be seen today in museums/tourist attractions and have evolved into seafaring ships.
