From the Center of America: Steamboats and Shipyards Along the Lower Ohio River (Shawnee Books)

Charting the legacy of mid-America's shipyards and iconic steamboatsBefore the railroad stitched together the American landscape, the dominant mode of transportation in the United States was by steamboat.These grand vessels, their iconic paddlewheels churning the country's rivers, have long captured the national imagination as symbols of innovation and adventure. In the heart of America, four major rivers converge-the Cumberland and Tennessee with the Ohio; then the Ohio with the Mississippi.These three confluences, which author Robert Swenson christens the Four Rivers Reach, played a unique role in the development of the steamboats that dominated American continental transport for almost 100 years.Between 1825 and 1936, the river towns of Smithland, Paducah, Metropolis, Mound City, and Cairo launched 295 wood-hulled, steam-powered vessels.Drawing from a wealth of archival sources, Swenson presents detailed histories of these steamboats over a span of 110 years, accompanied by nearly o