Steamboats on the Red
Connecting the prairie's people
Early steamboats on the Red River in downtown GGF near the existing dock area and Red River State Recreation Area campground.
The Red and Red Lake Rivers have played an important role in the settlement of the Red River Valley. River travel was a popular method of transportation for fur traders and Native Americans in the mid-1800s, and canoes, barges, and rafts were common sights on the water.
Steamboat traffic on the Red River began in 1859 when the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce offered a cash bonus to anyone who could commission a steamboat on the Red River. This form of transportation flourished for 20 years before gradually dying down as the railroad took over the transportation of goods and people to the Red River Valley.
Steamboats were used for agriculture, including the delivery of grain and the transportation of farm equipment and supplies. In 1877, 10,000 bushels of grain destined for Europe were shipped up the river in flat-bottomed barges that were towed on the shallow waters.
The Selkirk, built by railroad magnate James J. Hill and several partners in 1871, was among several steamboats transporting people and goods along the Red River. Piloted by Alexander Griggs, the founder of the City of Grand Forks, the Selkirk is shown as farm equipment is unloaded.
The steamboats of the Red River were large, flat-bottomed crafts well suited to navigate the shallow waters. An 11-man crew carried out the duties of loading and unloading freight for a monthly salary of $35 plus room and board.
On average, a trip downstream from Moorhead, Minnesota, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, would take 60 hours and 4 days, and the journey back upstream would take 4 days.
The Grand Forks steamer was the last commercial boat to operate on the U.S. portion of the Red River. Its last international commercial voyage on the Red River was in 1909.
Visit the History section at http://www.greenwayggf.com for more information about the Greenway.
