Customer Reviews

Mr. Roosevelt's Steamboat

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"Mr. Roosevelt's Steamboat" describes the first steamboat journey on the Mississippi. It reads like a fast-paced novel yet it is scrupulously accurate history thanks to the thorough research done by the gifted Ms. Dohan. The three-month voyage starts in Pittsburgh in 1811 and is an exciting adventure for Nicholas and Lydia Roosevelt and their two children--the second born enroute. (Nicholas was Theodore Roosevelt's great-granduncle.) Roosevelt believed in his boat and risked everything to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of steam transportation on the Mississippi. The adventure-packed voyage includes passages through dangerous falls, a chase by Indians, the New Madrid earthquake and an on-board fire. This excellently written book is a must for those who like true-action with their history.

An amazing true adventure brought to life -- beautifully written, and with a spirited hero and heroine. In a narrative and highly readable fashion, the author takes us back into the life and times of the early 1800s. She brings into sharp relief the courage and persistence shown by Nicholas Roosevelt and his young wife Lydia Latrobe, as they dared the first steamboat voyage down the uncharted waters of the Mississippi River. The New Madrid earthquake, Indians, primitive living conditions and a host of other challenges spice the story of the historic voyage.

I'm a 73 year old male who doesn't read a lot but wants to get the most out of my reading time. Mr. Roosevelt's Steamboat sure helped me do that! It is an exciting adventure story as well as an authoritative account of a historic voyage that made a contribution to the transportation revolution in our country. This book held my interest from beginning to end.