The Material Culture of Steamboat Passengers - Archaeological Evidence from the Missouri River (THE PLENUM SERIES IN UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY) (The Springer Series in Underwater Archaeology) [Hardcover]

Annalies Corbin (Author), Roderick Sprague (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0306461684 | ISBN-13: 978-0306461682 | Publication Date: November 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

This book is a material culture analysis of passengers' belongings found on the steamboats Bertrand and Arabia, which served nineteenth century emigrants traveling west on the Missouri river. The research utilizes documentary sources, photographs, and archaeological artifacts. The book is heavily descriptive and will be regarded as a reference manual for western artifacts and for steamboats that operated on the Missouri river.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`This data base on Missouri steamboats is an impressive piece of research and should prove invaluable to those doing research on the Missouri river trade. The writing style of the author allows easy and quick reading of this book. ...historic archaeologists will find the artifact descriptions and figures useful. ...this work will often be cited in the future by archaeologists working on mid-nineteenth century sites.'
North American Archaeologist, 21:4 (2000)
`Anyone interested in frontier society will find this to be a very useful volume. It helps explain the development of the Missouri River route that was vital to western Iowa and other portions of the Midwest.'
The Annals of Iowa, 61:3 (2002)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306461684
• ISBN-13: 978-0306461682
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,842,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Specific Glances at Steamboat passengers, August 5, 2002

By 

Steve (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Material Culture of Steamboat Passengers - Archaeological Evidence from the Missouri River (THE PLENUM SERIES IN UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY) (The Springer Series in Underwater Archaeology) (Hardcover)

The book lives up to its title. It is an excellent example of a study of material remains and how they actually relate to the people who left them behind. The fascinating thing about shipwrecks and what material items they house, is that people did not get a chance to pick and choose what they left behind, such as when a Great Plains family left a sod house for their first frame house. Instead, everything they brought, except for that on their back, they were forced to leave behind. It is an instant snapshot of time, place, people, and lifestyle. Dr. Corbin has done an excellent job of explaining why she undertook this project, as well as explaining her conclusions. Granted, she was only able to research so much, but these brief "pictures" of lives gone before us, are illuminating. She does a fine job of bringing the historical record to bear on the artifactual evidence, and vice-versa. Not meant as a book for public consumption, it will have a welcoming audience in "students" of the past and the westward expansion of the United States. The only drawback is the "as usual" high price for a Plenum series book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 29, 2006

By 

Barto Arnold "INA archaeologist" (College Station, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Material Culture of Steamboat Passengers - Archaeological Evidence from the Missouri River (THE PLENUM SERIES IN UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY) (The Springer Series in Underwater Archaeology) (Hardcover)

Annalies Corbin is one of the leading lights of US underwater archaeology. This book reflects her tremendous engergy and accomplished scholoarship. Accessible to the professional and the layman. Highly recommended for archaeologists, historians, and steamboat or old west enthusiasts.