Chapter Eleven

White River - Gateway to Marion County

By: Duane Huddleston

 Pages 107-109

With the entrance of the MARY PATTERSON in the trade, competition became keen Although not completely finished, Captain Bateman passed Buffalo City in April 1859, enroute to Forsythe. Upon his return, he stated that he would make another trip to Taney County in two weeks Not to be outdone, Captain Thomas J Woods announced that he was taking the OAKLAND to Forsythe. In a further gesture of goodwill, he scheduled an excursion to Buffalo City on April 21, but cancelled it to permit the OAKlAND to replace the ADMIRAL in the lower river trade-she had become temporanly disabled.

Quisenberry's plans for making his steamer a United States mail packet met with failure, and the OAKLAND could not withstand the increased competition. Once the pride of Buffalo City, she was sold at a United States Marshall's sale on September 7, 1859, to meet unpaid obligations.

The following boats are holding themselves in readiness to run the Upper White River trade the coming season, VIZ the INTERCHANGE, Captain J. W. Gilchrist, to run from Buffalo City to New Orleans; MARY PATTERSON, Captain Morg Bateman, and NEBRASKA, Captain Cummins, to run from Buffalo City to Jacksonport; and I doubt not that several OTHER BOATS will be "in" in time to reap a share of the spoils. The principal productions of the country are corn, wheat and tobacco, which has been raised this year in abundance. Cattle and hogs are also raised in almost INNUMERABLE QUANTITIES. Beef cattle could be bought at 3 cents per pound, good corn-fed pork, at not exceeding 4 cents, wheat is worth 50 cents per bushel, corn will be worth 25 cents per bushel...

"The town was surveyed in October last, but very little improvement was done until the first of February. Since then there has been considerable...

To the Tavern known as the "Shoal House" there has been added a room 20 feet square, with a passage 16 feet wide, and a porch 36 feet long, and a duble stable and a smoke house. The warehouse at the steamboat landing has been thoroughly rennovated and put in good order; which is of sufficient capacity to do an extensive receiving and forwarding business, and also by Messrs. Gilchrist and Co. A business 25 by 100 feet (new) is nearly completed; two residences have been built, and several others in contemplations. We suppose Messrs. G and Co., captain Morg Bateman, W H Fletcher, E B Tunstall, C Duggins and Alex Moreland will build this fall, and probably others. I omitted to mention, when speaking of new improvements a STEAM GRIST MILL, built by the Messrs. Tunstalls, which makes a fine article of flour. There have eleven families moved here since the town was surveyed."

As further evidence of Buffalo City's expansion, the following excerpt from a newspaper stated:

"I find there are many citizens of our state, who do not know that the White River is navigable to Buffalo City, even during winter and spring. For the information of such persons, I will give the names of six different steamboats that went to Buffalo City during the past season: CITY of KNOXVILLE, MONONGAHELA BELLE, OAKLAND, MARY PATTERSON, NEBRASKA, and the INTERCHANGE. Three of these boats will run to Buffalo City in the coming season".

The CITY of KNOXVILLE, Captain James Timms owner and master, was primarily a mail packet from Jacksonport to Pocahontas, but made infrequent trips to Marion County landings. The INTERCHANGE was Captain Gilchrist's replacement for the MONONGAHELA BELLE, which sank on a trip from Buffalo City to Memphis; and the NEBRASKA, Captain Cummins, master, was a Batesville to Buffalo City and Talbert's Ferry packet.

In late January, 1860, Captain Gilchrist passed Des Arc with his 251-ton INTERCHANGE towing the little steamer BELVIDERE, which was destined for service to Marion County landings. The 46-ton stern-wheeler was owned by Captain N C Shipp, with J Darby as clerk. Captain Shipp was the father of two famous White River steamboatmen, Captains William C and Hardin C Shipp.

On March 20, the steamer NOVELTY, another entry into the Upper White River trade, was at the rapids below Buffalo City, and Captain Bateman and the MARY PATTERSON were 16 miles above Batesville, bound for Forsythe. The good captain should have stayed in Marion County, for his steamboat was caught by low water at Forsythe and stranded until late February, 1861. Slight rises enabled the MARY PATTERSON to return to the Coker farm, near the mouth of East Sugar Loaf Creek, then to Bull Bottom Shoals, in Marion County, but it was not until late March that the boat could return to Buffalo City. No doubt the 12 month stay nettled Captain Bateman, as did the killing of the Taney County sheriff by one of his crew while the MARY PATTERSON was marooned at Forsythe.

Although the number of steamboats was increasing, keel boats were still running on Marion County waters. In late May, 1860, one left Talbert's Ferry carring a load of bacon and corn. Enroute to Batesville, it also carried $800 from a branch of the House of Burr. After arriving at Buffalo City, the keel boat ran aground and could not be dislodged When night came, the captain decided to forward the money in the morning by yawl and hid it for safe-keeping. During the night it was stolen, with the exception of $120 in gold, which was scattered around with a couple of mutilated bills Suspicion rested upon a young crew member, who was watched closely. At Batesville he bought a watch, razor, some perfumery, and finally a skiff, in which he fled. He was apprehended at Jacksonport, tied with a rope, and brought back to Batesville. The young man readily admitted his guilt, saying that he would much rather be taken out and whipped in Independence County, than taken to the penitentiary in Little Rock.

As steamboating entered 1861, the BELVIDERE and NOVELTY were serving the Marion County landings. Captain Gilchrist's fine steamer INTERCHANGE had sunk near Newport in late 1860 and was lost. In January, Captain J J Pillsbury started regular trips to Buffalo City with the MASONIC GEM, and in late March the MARY PATTERSON was freed for service.

The outbreak of hostilities cast fear and apprehension among the steamboat captains, and river service to Marion County dwindled. Internal turmoil and the arrival of Union troops drove the remaining steamers from the area, although the date and name of the last to leave Buffalo City is uncertain. But leave they did, and it was several long years before the populace again heard the nostalgic whistle of a steamboat. Among the first to return was the JUSTICE, a 117-ton side-wheeler commanded by Captain Abner Baird, which left Batesville for Buffalo City on May 16,1866. A Memphis-to-Batesville packet, the JUSTICE made occasional trips to Marion County and may have arrived earlier. Pilots of the steamer were Nick Jones and Henry Clark, with Wilmot Gibbes, of Sulphur Rock, as clerk. The J R Hoyle, Captain Jim Kinman, master, entered the upper river trade on August 31, 1866, and the 79-ton CLERMONT left Batesville for Buffalo City on February 27, 1867.

Perhaps the first regular post-Civil War packet to serve the Marion County landing was the 99-ton F W BROOKS, a small sternwheeler owned by Captain G W Cable. It was announced on October 19, 1967, that the craft would make semi-weekly trips to Buffalo City, and above. She left briefly to ply Little Red River as a tri-weekly packet, but returned in March, 1868. She ran until fall, when the 84-ton ARGOS began running in the upper river. Thomas Cox, of Batesville, purchased the boat in July, 1869, and made Captain William C Shipp her master. By December of 1869, Captain Shipp was making regular trips to Talbert's Ferry, with Asa Bragg and Scanlin as clerks.

The 173-ton BATESVILLE entered the trade in late 1869. Built and owned by Captain Charles Coles, the sternwheeler was 120 feet, 26 feet wide; and had a 4 feet hold. The captain's brother-in-law, Captain Albert B. Smith, was clerk of the boat.

The steamers ARGOS and BATESVILLE made frequent trips to Marion County landings in 1870 and 1871, with Captain Will C. Shipp becoming quite popular with his customers. There may have been others, but they offered little competition to Captains Shipp and Coles. Captain Albert G. Cravens, who had been running keel boats from Batesville since 1866, was listed as pilot of the ARGOS on June 27, 1871.