1868 Steamboat Service between New Orleans & Ouachita Valley, including Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: T. D. Hudson Date of Submission: 6/2008 and updated 11/2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 1868 Steamboat Service between New Orleans & Ouachita Valley, including Union Parish Louisiana From the "Ouachita Telegraph", issue dated 19 March 1868, page 2 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== NOTE: Until railroads reached most vicinities in north Louisiana in the early 1900s, commerce and travel depended heavily upon steamboats. Farmers relied upon the steamers to deliver their bales of cotton to the New Orleans markets, merchants depended up on them to get their stock of merchandise, and travelers much preferred the smooth trips provided by the steamers to the bumpy, uncomfortable stage coach lines. The first steamboat reached what was then Fort Miro (now Monroe) in 1819, and regular steamboat service began shortly thereafter. The article below signals the beginning of regularly-scheduled steamboat arrivals to the landings in Union Parish. In water transportation terms, a "packet" is a regularly scheduled service carrying valuable freight and first class passengers. Trention mentioned below is today known as West Monroe. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== New Orleans and Ouachita Valley - Packet Line ___________________ We should be utterly remiss in our duty as a journalist were we to omit calling especial attention to the proposed formation of a joint stock company, now being organized at Trenton, for the purpose of facilitating travel and transportation between Camden and New Orleans. A public enterprise of so much magnitude demands the hearty appreciation of every good citizen and the especial attention of the newspaper. It is well known that for three years Monroe and Trenton have been supplied, at every stage of navigation, with prompt weekly communication by packets with New Orleans. During that time, our regular packets have not missed three trips, but have rather made the run to our warves with almost the promptness of railway trains. We have often observed, in fact, that for several consecutive trips their time has not varied as much as two hours. The advantage of this arrangement to every class of our people, it would be difficult to determine. It is only by reverting to the old system which prevailed on the Ouachita, when the boats had no schedules, but departed or arrived as whim or shippers saw fit to suggest, when the merchant, planter and travelor groped in the dark as to when his wants would be supplied, and then comparing the uncertainty, variations and delays of that period with the exactness, reliability, and punctuality of the present system, that we are enabled to appreciate fully the great advantage the public on the Ouachita River now enjoy. The proposition of the New Orleans and Ouachita Navigation Company is simply to extend the privileges of the packet line, we have tried so long and so satisfactorily, to shippers and travelers as high up as Camden, Arkansas. By the aid of light-draught packets, above Trenton, the Company expect to be able to keep open reliable weekly communication between New Orleans and Camden nearly the whole year round. The best steamboatmen vouch for the reliableness of this arrangement, and home of the heaviest capitalists in the country have already come forward to back them. The arrangement will embrace also the carrying trade of Saline river and Bayous Bartholomew and D'Arbonne, supplying those streams with a class of boats which has already proved better adapted than any others for that trade, being more wieldly and more reliable than the boats of larger draught. we have for some time anxiously awaited a movement like the one which is about to be set on foot and which we are thoroughly convinced will be permanent, it being in the hands of the very best men in our country. To the people of those sections whose interests are embraced in the undertaking, we cheerfully commend the movers in this matter assuring shippers that it needs only their co operation to make the proposed line of packets the speediest, safest and most economical of all the liens heretofore attempted. We hope to see the people of Camden and those living on the Saline and the Bayous take hold of this matter earnestly and give it a hearty and liberal support. We will take occasion to notice the advantages further in another issue. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Page 2, right side, advertisement ================================================================================== ================================================================================== GREAT NEW ORLEANS AND OUACHITA VALLEY PACKET LINE. _________ Semi-Weekly between Damden and New Orleans; Weekly, between New Orleans, Bayous D'Arbonne and Bartholomew and Saline River. _________ New and Permanent Arrangement! _________ Frank Pargoud; VICKSBURG; J. W. Toris, Commander, G. A. Williams, Clerk F. A. Blanks, Commander, G. P. Work, Clerk Leaves New Orleans every Wednesday at 5 o'clock, p.m.; Leaves New Orleans every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m.; Arrives at Trenton every Friday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Arrives at Trenton every Tuesday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Leaves Trenton every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Leaves Trenton every Tuesday at 5 o'clcok, p.m.; Arrives at New Orleans every Monday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Arrives at New Orleans every Thursday at 5 o'clock, p.m. These magnificent boats make close connection at Trenton with the light draught steamers, CAMDEN, Montgomery Commander; } Trenton and Camden line. BEN McCULLOUGH, Morris, Commander; } ALICE, Taylor, Commander; Trenton and Bayou D'Arbonne line. " " , Commander; Trenton and Bayou Bartholemew line. CARRIE POOLE, Withers, Commander; Trenton and Saline river line. _________ BEN McCULLOUGH, CAMDEN, Leaves Trenton every Tuesday at 5 o'clock, p.m., Leaves Trenton every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m., after arrival of Vicksburg; after arrival of Pargoud; Arrives at Camden every Thursday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Arrives at Camden every Monday at 5 o'clock, p.m.; Leaves Camden every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Leaves Camden every Wednesday at 5 o'clcok, p.m.; Arrives at Trenton every Monday at 5 o'clock, p.m., Arrives at Trenton every Friday at 5 o'clock, p.m., making close connection with steamer Vicksburg. making close connection with steamer Pargoud. _________ ______________, ALICE, for Bayou Bartholemew. For Bayou D'Arbonne; Leaves Trenton every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m., Leaves Trenton every Saturday at 5 o'clock, p.m., after arrival of Pargoud; after arrival of Pargoud; Arrives at State Line every Monday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Arrives at Farmerville every Sunday at 5 o'clock, p.m.; Leaves State Line every Wednesday at 5 o'clock, p.m. Leaves Farmerville every Thursday at 12 o'clcok, m.; Arrives at Trenton every Friday at 5 o'clock, p.m., Arrives at Trenton every Friday at 5 o'clock, p.m., making close connection with steamer Pargoud. making close connection with steamer Frank Pargoud. CARRIE POOLE, For Saline River. Leaves Trenton every Tuesday at 5 o'clock, p.m., on arrival of Vicksburg; Arrives at Cornishes' Landing every Thursday at 5 o'clock, p.m.; Leaves Cornishes' Landing every Saturday at 12 o'clock, m; Arrives at Trenton every Tuesday at 5 o'clock, p.m., Making close connections with steamer Vicksburg. _________ The above arrangement forms a complete regular and reliable semi-weekly through line between New Orleans and Camden, and a weekly through line between New Orleans and Bayous D'Arbonne and Bartholomew and Saline River. Passengers and freight will be carried through by this line at regular through rates; free of charge for re-shipping and forwarding. _________ Additional Arrangements. The extension of the telegraph line from Trenton to Camden is in contemplation and will doubtless be completed at an early day. Until this is done, telegrams from Camden and other points on the river between Camden and Trenton may be sent by the packets to the general agents at Trenton who will promptly forward them; and dispatches from New Orleans to Camden and other points will be forwarded through the same channel. _________ To the People of the Ouachita Valley: The permanent establishment of a reliable semi-weekly line of fast sailing first class steamers between New Orleans, Camden and the other river towns on the Ouachita river and its navigable tributaries, together with direct and regular telegraphic communication with th eprincipal parts of our own and other countries, have become a great desiderate, and in this age of progress and improvement, when success in almost every department has become so essentially dependent on expedition and punctuality, the public and especially merchants, traders and all others engaged in active business pursuits, cannot fail to see and appreciate the immense facilities and advantages which this great enterprise places within their grasp. The Ouachita valley with its unsurpassed fertility of soil, its exemption from the damaging effects of inundation, and its other natural advantages, possess in an eminent degree th eelements of prosperity, independence and boundless wealth. Enterprise and skillfully directed energy and industry only, are wanting to develop these vast resources and convert this beautiful valley into the garden spot of the South-West. The parties who are endeavoring to inaugurate this enterprise avail themselves of this occasion to say that they do not seek to monopolize and appropriate to themselves the pecuniary benefits, if any, which may grow out of its success, but, on the contrary, cordially invite all, and especially the merchants and citizens of Camden and the other river towns, both above and below Trenton, to join them on equal terms and assist and co-operate with them in its comsummation. A charter and other papers necessary to a regularly organized joint-stock company are in course of preparation and will be presented to the public at an early day. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== File posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/newspapers/articles/1868steamer-line.txt ##################################################################################