In When Steamboats Reigned in Florida, Bob Bassexplores the impact of these vessels along with the stories of those who ran or established the steamboat routes along most of the major rivers in Florida--the Kissimmee, St. Johns, Ocklawaha, Suwannee, Apalachicola, and Caloosahatchee--as well as Lake Okeechobee and Ft. Myers. Through past historical accounts and his own family’s personal experiences, Bass sheds new light on Florida's steamboat saga.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Take a ride along Florida’s earliest mass transportation system
"Bass takes the reader on the paddle steamer's journey through Florida's waterways and history. When Steamboats Reigned in Florida is a welcome addition to Florida's chronicle of a once flourishing industry when steamboats were king."--William Lloyd Harris, Polk County Historical Commission
In the popular imagination, steamboats trigger romanticized images of the Mississippi River as portrayed in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, or the musical Show Boat. But in fact they played a key role in settling many parts of the country, including the South.
Long before the arrival of railroads, steamboats opened up the interior of Florida to tourists and to trade. As early as 1829, steamboats began to ply Florida’s rivers and lakes, traveling upstream with relative ease. These were colorful, raucous, outrageous, sometimes dangerous vehicles that brought a steady stream of goods and supplies as well as people.
In 1870, Robert E. Lee, perhaps the most famous southerner at the time, toured Florida by steamboat. Ten years later his erstwhile enemy, Ulysses S. Grant, followed his footsteps. As more and more visitors flowed into Florida’s interior from bustling port cities such as Jacksonville, agricultural towns such as Palatka became tourist destinations. Harriet Beecher Stowe was known to wave to passing boats from the front porch of her winter home along the St. Johns River.
In When Steamboats Reigned in Florida, Bob Bassexplores the impact of these vessels along with the stories of those who ran or established the steamboat routes along most of the major rivers in Florida--the Kissimmee, St. Johns, Ocklawaha, Suwannee, Apalachicola, and Caloosahatchee--as well as Lake Okeechobee and Ft. Myers. Through past historical accounts and his own family’s personal experiences, Bass sheds new light on Florida's steamboat saga.
Publication of this volume is made possible through the generous support of The Steamship Historical Society of America
About the Author
Bob Bass is a freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in a variety of national magazines including Lost Treasure, Boys' Life, Florida Living, Florida Wildlife, and many others.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When Steamboats Reigned in Florida,
By
This review is from: When Steamboats Reigned in Florida (Hardcover)
Excellent book in exceptional condition. Very good reading and informative for us Florida Steamboat buffs.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
