Early Steamboat and Packet Lines
                 By RUTH BRISTOW


L.A CROSSE is exceptionally well
    located for river trade. The
bluffs come close to the river's edge
both north and south of the city,
and Prairie La Crosse provided am-
ple room for the building of a large
city. The bend of the Mississippi
as it rounds the end of Pettibone
Island just above  the   mouth of
Black river causes the channel to
cross the stream and flow along the
eastern shore where the levee is
now located. The channel on the
levee side of the river prodived
deep water for a boat landing.
   Indian trails from all northern
Wisconsin centered at Prairie La
Crosse and indicated the lines of
travel, while the junction of the La
Crosse, Black and Mississippi riv-
ers formed a break in the means of
transportation, and made the loca-
tion a cargo-breaking point. Black
river was navigable for only about
a mile above   its  mouth by the
largest of the steamers.
  It was in 1823   that the   first
steamboat, "The Virginia," ascend-
ed the Mississippi to St. Paul. The
progress of steamboat navigation
on the upper river was extremely
slow at the very beginning. From
1823 to 1843 only one or two trips
were made annually, these being
made to take supplies to the sol-
diers at Fort Snelling and the few
trading posts along the river. But
in 1844 between 41 and 44 trips
were made by boats up the Missis-
sippi.
  As it was in the years of 1841
and 1842 that Myrick established
La Crosse as a trading post, it is
probable that some of the boats.
stopped here on their trips up the
river.
  In 1848 between June and No-
vember the Wisconsin Winnebago
Indians met at La Crosse and were
put on steamboats and taken to St.
Paul.
  There are conflicting traditional
accounts concerning the first ferry-
boat across the Mississippi river at
La Crosse. According to some it
was a steamboat, but this is prob-


ably   incorrect.  Conflicting ac-
counts also name the owner as Wil-
liam McConnell, the landlord of the
La Crosse hotel, a Captain Bates
and William McSpadden. Whatever
may be, the merits of these ac-
counts the following item appears
in the issue of the La Crosse Demo-
crat for June 28, 1853: "Our en-
terprising townsman, William  G.
McSpadden, has just landed with
his fine  ferry  boat 'Wild Kate.'
Know all men, therefore, that from
this time henceforth a good, safe
and speedy horse ferry will be kept
in operation between La Crosse and
the Minnesota shore. It is what has
been very much needed as the im-
migration is rapidly increasing to
this most beautiful part of Minne-
sota opposite La Crosse and the
westward bound are beginning to
find that La Crosse is the point for
those going to the Root river valley
and even to the headwaters of the
Minnesota river to cross the Missis-
sippi." In  another column    Mr.
McSpadden solicits patronage for
his boat by an advertisement. The
power used on this boat was that
of a horse treadmill, and the land-
ing on the Minnesota shore was
above Barron's Island.
  Probably the first steamboat fer-
ry really owned in La Crosse was
the "Honeoye." It was bought at
Pittsburg in 1856 by Thomas Mc-
Roberts, Willic    McConnell and
John B. McCain, all of La Crosse.
It was bought to replace the "Wild
Kate," but was - ever used as it was
cut down by the anchor ice at the
La Crosse levee.
  The first packet company on the
upper Mississippi was the St. Louis
and Keokuk, which was organized
January 1, 1842, by John S. Mc-
Cune and James E. Yateman. Sev-
eral other companies -were rapidly
formed. This resulted in a great
deal of competition, and as the riv-
er traffic is a natural monopoly the
effect was the self-destruction of
the companies in their efforts to
force their rivals out of business.
Low rates, both    passenger  and