Atop the steamboat deck was a pilothouse where the pilot guided his craft through the tangles of tree snags, whirlpools, rapids, sandbars and shallows.
A LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY | By Joan Frances – Images from The Story of America –
Mark Twain painted a handsome sight for the reader. Magnificent and regal, peacefully gliding down the Mississippi River, the steamboat was the transportation marvel of its time. Stories of floating palaces and steamboat races up to five miles per hour were majestically portrayed. This traveling paradise was a dream come true for passengers. For the residents of Fort Bend County, the steamboat was not as glamorous, but it was a welcome sight. As this new form of transportation was introduced to the area, the quality of living improved for everyone.
The most popular steamboat was called the showboat. These boats catered to the wealthy and came fully equipped with a grand saloon, elegant, heavy, wood furniture, gilded ceilings and mirror-lined walls. Wealthy passengers traveled in private cabins on the upper decks, dined on fine food and indulged in drinking and gambling, unaware of any dangers the rivers possessed. The poorer passengers bunked on the freight decks and slept on bales of cotton or grain sacks. Steamboat races were a popular sport between captains and fraught with dangers for the crew and passengers. Exploding boilers and collision were the biggest concern. This did not keep people from betting on winners and coming out to watch the race.
In 1829, the first steamboat came to Texas, the tiny Ariel. Henry Austin, cousin of Stephen F. Austin, was urged to come to Texas to receive a land grant. He brought the steamboat, but it was later abandoned on the San Jacinto River. By the mid-1800s, at least 12 boats were in operation on the Brazos, and many more followed. The average steamboat was 30 feet wide by 90 feet long, and some were as long as 200 feet and able to travel on the water almost entirely above the surface.
Steamboats were economically useful as well, combining a steam engine that burned cottonwood and willow for fuel with paddle wheels for power and a narrow hull design capable of accommodating a river with only three to four feet of water. A regular boat crew consisted of 30 to 40 men, and because of the convenience, there were as many as 100 to 200 passengers on board, traveling from city to city.
Even before the railroad, the city of Richmond developed into a prosperous trade center for barges and steamboats to pick up and drop off agriculture by providing a “landing” for steamboats to lay a stage plank to the shore. Transporting cotton, logs, livestock, brick and other merchandise provided a successful and busy trade for the residents.
Surrounding towns depended on the transportation of steamboats as well. Passengers discovered the Brazos River to be a major steamboat route that was most convenient when traveling to areas up to 350 miles from the river mouth. Although the Brazos River carried an enormous amount of water, it was so unpredictable and erratic that navigation proved to be impossible at times. Popular areas of the river were dredged and snags were removed for easy passage, but with seasonal water rises and droughts, new snags complicated travel. There was also the danger of Indian attacks and boiler explosions that had to be considered when traveling on the steamboat. Because of the Civil War, any plans to improve the Brazos were put to a halt. After the war, the railroads took over the trade market in Fort Bend County.
Today, the steamboat is a vital part of Fort Bend history. Considered a novelty for entertainment, the showboat is still a sight to see from a distance and popular for touring the rivers, dining and gambling.