Yellowstone Steamboat

Steamboats played a big role in American transportation in the 1800's and there may not have been a more significant steamboat in U.S. history than the Yellowstone. The stern wheeler boat was originally built in Louisville Kentucky in 1831 for the American Fur Company. The American Fur Company was owned by John Jacob Astor and went on to be the dominant fur trading company in America by the early 1830's.

It was at one time the largest company in the U.S. and virtually had a monopoly on the country's fur trade. Starting with trade in the Great lakes region and the midwest, beginning in the 1820's the company expanded into the plains area and to the Pacific Northwest. The fur trading industry played a major part in the development of both the United States and Canada for centuries.

The Many Journey's of the Yellowstone

Steamboat Yellowstone

The Yellowstone history includes steam boating from the far reaches of the northern Missouri River to the Mississippi and then on to Texas and operations on the Brazos River are a treasure trove of American western history.

In fact, by the year 1832, the Yellowstone made it up the Missouri River right to the mouth of the Yellowstone River. In 1831 while on her maiden voyage, the Yellowstone made it all the way up the Missouri River to Pierre South Dakota, farther than any other steamboat to date.

The Yellowstone's itinerary was pretty much dependent on the season of the year. While working on the Missouri River the steamboat took advantage of the higher river due to April snow melts and again in June and July by favor of snow melt from the Rocky Mountains which of course occurred later. During the winter months the Yellowstone moved to the Mississippi River and worked regularly along the southern portion.

The years 1835 and 1836 were big. Texas fought against the Mexican government for it's independence and the Yellowstone steamboat joined the crusade. By this time the Yellowstone had been sold by the American Fur Company and was actually on it's third owner, Thomas Toby and Brother. The boat was dispatched to Texas for the purpose of carrying cotton bales down the Brazos River to Quintana Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually, the Yellowstone departed from New Orleans on New Years Eve 1835 and steamed to Texas loaded with arms, ammunition and volunteers to help fight for Texas.

San Jacinto Mon.

The Yellowstone continued in service to the Texas independence cause and spent the war ferrying troops down river and assisting any way it could. During the war for Texas independence, the Yellowstone actually combined cotton hauling with hauling Texas troops on and across the Brazos River. This boat caused a lot of difficulty for the Mexican Santa Anna and his army.

After the Mexican War

At the end of Texas' war for independence, and after the decisive Battle of San Jacinto, the Yellowstone was used to transport the wounded Sam Houston as well as the captured Mexican commander Santa Anna along with over forty Mexican prisoners.

The plans were that the Yellowstone would actually transport Santa Ana back to Mexico but the trip was put off. Santa Anna ended up however meeting President Andrew Jackson and didn't return to Mexico until 1837, and unfortunately for him, when he did it was as a disgraced man. The Mexican government essentially refused to recognize any surrender terms put forth by Santa Anna and didn't recognize the new Texas Republic until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 which officially ended the Mexican American War. That same treaty placed California and the southwest in U.S. hands.

Steamboats and the U.S. Military

While the steamboat Yellowstone played a key role in the Texas fight for independence, the role of steamboats and the military would not end there. Another famous steamboat, the Far West, played a big role in the Sioux Wars of 1876 when it served as command headquarters for General Terry while conducting the campaign which included Custer's Battle of the Little Bighorn. During that campaign, the stern wheeler Far West steamed all the way up the Yellowstone River in Montana to the mouth of the Little Bighorn River. This was quite a feat in itself.

The Fate of the Steamboat Yellowstone

Santa Anna, Pub. Domain

There is no concrete information as to what ultimately happened to the steamboat Yellowstone. Some say she sank near the Houston area. Another story is that a record was discovered that records the steamboat Yellowstone passing through the Louisville and Portland Canal on the Ohio River in the summer of 1837.

When you research records and archives from that period, nearly 200 years ago, it's not uncommon that information is a bit sketchy. What is documented well is that early steamboats often had a short life span, sometimes five to eight years due to deadly steam boiler explosions. This was a large danger during the mid 1800's. While there is information that the Yellowstone did have work performed on it's boilers in New Orleans, there are no records I could find that indicates the Yellowstone ever suffered this fate.

History however kept the name alive with our nation's first National Park named Yellowstone Park, a tribute to both this famed steamboat and the beautiful river that runs through Montana and Wyoming.

Incredibly, the Yellowstone was involved from the far reaches of the northern Missouri River all the way down to New Orleans and then over to Texas which all occurred in her first five years of existence. While she went through several owners in a very short time, the Yellowstone was relied on continuously for either commercial or military purposes.

Texas tourists today can visit the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site which is located about twenty-five miles east of Houston. There you can view the magnificent San Jacinto Monument which has the distinction of being the tallest memorial column in the world rising 570 feet.

There are several museums spread out in the western United States chronicling the history of steam boating. One excellent site which has a lot of history about the steamboat Yellowstone is the Museum of the Fur Trade located in Nebraska. The museum is located three miles east of Chadron, Nebraska on U. S. Highway 20, in the northwest corner of the state. This amazing museum features every type of object exchanged by Europeans and Americans with the Native people of North America.

You may also enjoy our Western Trips photo article on the old Spanish Missions in San Antonio Texas.

(Article copyright Western Trips. Photos and images from the public domain)

Vintage Cars / A Western Trip to the Car Museums

When you travel through the western United States on either a vacation trip or for business, you may wish to set aside a bit of time to avail yourself of some excellent displays of vintage cars. There are many excellent places to see America's classic car collections in the west and I want to point out several of them. Some sites are full automotive museums and others are small collections but all make an interesting travel stop. Antique car museums are great places to learn more of America's 20th century culture.

Blackhawk Museum

One of the finest car museums I have visited is in Danville California just about 25 miles east of the San Francisco bay area. The Blackhawk Museum located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville displays a massive collection of the very earliest to the contemporary automobile. This antique car museum has one of the most extensive collections of classic cars on the west coast. The auto museum operates as a non-profit and was created to ensure that significant automotive treasures would be exhibited for both public enjoyment and educational enrichment. If you're in the east bay area of San Francisco it's an excellent addition to your trip itinerary. The Blackhawk Museum is one of the best classic car museums in America. You'll enjoy your visit there.

Our AutoMuseumOnline site also has a gallery with photos and the history of many vintage and classic cars and trucks.

Russell's Truck Stop Auto Museum

Another stop in quite different surroundings yet has a terrific collection of vintage cars and trucks is an automobile museum located inside a large truck stop on Interstate 40 in Endee New Mexico. Endee is just a few mile west of the New Mexico and Texas border directly off the Interstate. When you exit at Endee, the first thing you'll notice is the truck stop plaza. When you walk inside and go to the rear of the building you'll come across another large room with a terrific display of classic cars and trucks. This small automobile museum makes a unique rest stop while traveling Interstate 40.

1959 Corvette

It's truly a gem of a car museum. It's not nearly as large as others but the collection is absolutely superb. In fact, you'll marvel at what they have on display, including the beautiful 1959 Corvette shown at right.

The stop you'll be looking for is Russells Truck Stop and Classic Car Museum. Entrance to the auto museum is free of charge however you can leave a donation. If you happen to enjoy those older muscle cars, you'll find them in great shape at Russells. The car restorations have been done with great care.

Heritage Farmstead Museum

If you happen to be traveling through the north suburbs of Dallas Texas, there is a Ford Model T on display at the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano Texas, about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. This outdoor museum features fine displays of late 1800's and turn of the century pioneer homestead exhibits but additionally it owns a collection of not only a genuine Ford Model T but a fine collection of vintage early 1900's farm tractors, one of which is an old Fordson Tractor produced by the Ford Motor Company.

If you are in the Dallas Texas area, the Heritage Museum is located at 1900 W. 15th Street in Plano Texas. Take US Hwy 75 north from Dallas, exit at 15th St in Plano and turn left and follow 15th St about 2 miles. Museum is on the left.

Petersen Automotive Museum

Ford Model T

For those living in southern California, the Petersen Automotive Museum located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard  in Los Angeles is a well known classic car museum. The Petersen Automotive Museum was started in 1994 by Margie and Robert E. Petersen. The Petersen's donated over $30 million to make this non profit museum a reality..The vintage car museum exhibits over 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. This four floor museum also includes race cars, celebrity cars, concept cars and cars used in movies. This western auto museum is dedicated to the exploration and presentation of the automobile in regards to it's impact on American life. You'll also find special events and exhibits which rotate and change with various automotive themes. This automobile museum attracts thousands annually.

Forney Museum of Transportation

Another terrific vintage car museum is the Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver Colorado. The museum is located at 4303 Brighton Blvd in Denver. The Forney Museum of Transportation began as the private collection of Mr J. D. Forney of Fort Collins Colorado. As you will see when visiting this museum, Mr. Forney liked all means of transportation and along with vintage cars you'll find steam locomotives, steam tractors and much much more. One very interesting exhibit at the Forney Museum is the 1923 Kissell Speedster which was owned by the famous flier Amelia Earhart. It was said that Earhart called her car the "Kizzle," but later referred to it as the "Yellow Peril.". Amelia Earhart and her mother made a 7,000 mile round trip in this car in 1924 going from Boston to Los Angeles and then returning to Boston via Canada. To be sure, a very daring auto trip considering road conditions in that era. This was even before historic Route 66 was opened.

Mr. Forney loved collecting anything to do with transportation and engaged in car restoration. At first he was storing his vintage auto collection in his garages. When the collection totaled more than 200 items he knew it was time to find larger quarters.

After several moves to a variety of locations including the historic old Tramway Building and teaming up with another Denver area collector, the transportation museum finally found a permanent home.

It certainly had to be big because along the way the Union Pacific railroad donated the Alco "Big Boy" locomotive to the museum. A warehouse facility was found on Brighton Blvd. directly next to the Denver Coliseum. This was purchased and renovations got under way in 1998. was purchased. Renovations began in 1998. Thanks to the work of many volunteers most of the collection was at the new museum by the spring of 1999. It took 2 years of acquiring, permits, rail track laying, etc to relocate the Big Boy locomotive to its new permanent home on Brighton Blvd.

Lemay-American Car Museum

Visit the amazing  LeMay-America's Car Museum located at 2712 E. D Street in downtown Tacoma Washington. The ACM will feature over 500 cars, trucks and motorcycles from private collectors, companies and from the famous LeMay collection. The massive automobile museum will be 165,000 square feet in size and will no doubt be a popular car enthusiast destination for people from around the world. There may very well not be another one like it.

1939 Jaguar 3.5 litre

Per the car museums website, the ACM is conceived on the premise that there is an important, unique automotive story to tell about the past, present and future of cars, trucks and motorcycles. From what I understand the ACM in Tacoma will also serve as a social gathering place for car enthusiasts where automobile social networks can be established. The scope and size of this museum plus it's massive collection will make it a premiere classic car museum venue.

As a side note, the Chicago Sun Times has announced the creation of another new vintage car museum, this one in the windy city of Chicago Illinois. This new car museum is planned to feature a 300 plus car collection. According to the Chicago news story, some of the automobiles to be displayed in this new museum include Rolls-Royces, Packards and Duesenbergs. Also a 1920s fire engine and an Amphicar, an amphibious auto that Lyndon Johnson once owned. At this time the classic car museum will be called the Imperial Auto Collection and there is no fee to visit. The museum location is 3111 N. Knox, just east of Belmont and Cicero in Chicago Illinois.

Dick's Classic Garage

Here is a wonderful museum with dozens of classic and vintage cars and trucks. Located in San Marcos Texas just off Interstate 35, Dicks' Classic Garage is part of the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History. The museum is dedicated to the display and history of the automobile. This museum displays cars from the 1950's through the 1950's. Address is 120 Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX. For more information see website www.dicksclassicgarage.com

There are a great many classic car museums spread throughout the United States. Each has a very interesting story to tell and it's really a good way to learn more about how America evolved along with the automobile during the 20th century. If you're looking to possibly purchase a classic automobile, some of these museums may be able to connect you with possible sellers.On top of that, when you visit one of these car museums you're assured to take some pretty good pictures. Hopefully you'll have an opportunity to visit some of the ones listed above on your next vacation or weekend outing.

(Corvette,Model T from author's private collection. Remainder public domain)