Much of our early county history was focused on the little communities that were located along the Ohio River, as this was where the most travel, trading and commerce ports were located.
The beautiful Ohio
river was heavily traveled night and day by the many flatboats,
steamers, paddlewheelers and even a river taxi or two that water
taxied people to the nearby towns in Union County, Southern Illinois
as well as Tolu, Clementsburg and Fords Ferry.
A river taxi that used to run on the Ohio River. It carried folks to different locations along the Kentucky and Illinois sides of the river.
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Here are some interesting community items that were taken from the files of The Crittenden Press telling about this river traffic.
May 12, 1880
The steamer Gaff secured
at Clementsburg, while here she picked up 375 barrels of potatoes and 8000 feet of
lumber to take up North.
The Memphis and Ohio
River Packet company will carry passengers from now until after the
Democratic convention to Cincinnati and return for $10.
May 1881
Lamb &
Cook steamers shipped for G. R. Jenkins & Co. last week, 4 thousand feet
of walnut lumber to Evansville.
George A. Lamb is in
Cincinnati and W. E. Lambeth is in St. Louis.
The Shady Grove boys are
frequently seen hauling tobacco from that place to Weston for
shipment on the river.
Mar 2, 1881
The John V. Throop steamer secured several sacks of freight from Lamb & Co., yesterday,
after which she dropped down to Lou Cooks corn pen for number of
sacks of corn.
The good Steamer
Idlewide has been sold by the Evansville packet Com., to John D.
Adams and others for $20,000 cash. She will run no more on our
river.
The John K. Speed landed
last night to put off some Thoroughbred stock for A. D. McFee.
Messrs Sliger Underdown and L. E. Cook shipped stock to Cincinnati
last week on the Buckeye State.
The Gertie Pool was loading its
barge with ties at this place on Saturday.
A party composed of
Misses Nellie and Mary Wilson, Mattie and Fannie Blue, Cora Pierce,
and Mr. J. W. Blue and Mr. G. . Crider will start to New Orleans in a
few days. They will take a steamer and will be gone three weeks.
Our young physician W. H
. Nunn returned from Nashville, yesterday where he had been studying.
He will be one our leading physicians soon.
