William Johnstone - Butchery of the Mountain Man

“Do you suppose he would come to dinner at the fraternity house and give us a little talk?” Phil asked.

“I don’t know. That’s all he’s doin’ all day long now, is just talking into the microphone. I wouldn’t want to ask him to come give us a talk. But we might ask him to come have dinner with us.”

“Good idea,” Phil said. “All right, I will.”

“Mr. Jensen,” Wes said, greeting Smoke as he stepped out his car in front of the Old Main building. “I would like for you to meet Phil McGrath. He is the Grand Prytanis of the fraternity I belong to.”

“He’s the what?” Smoke asked with a chuckle.

“He’s the president.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? Hello, Mr. McGrath,” Smoke said, extending his hand.

“Mr. Jensen, it is a great pleasure meeting you,” McGrath said, taking Smoke’s hand and pumping it enthusiastically.

“You are also on the football team, I believe,” Smoke said. “I watched you play, Saturday. You played very well.”

“Thank you,” McGrath said, smiling in obvious pleasure at the accolade. “Oh, uh, I wanted to ask . . . that is, uh, I was wondering if you would have dinner with us tonight at the fraternity house?”

“Oh, I’d better not. My wife is here and I’m gone from her all day long. I don’t know how she would take it if I left her alone in the evening as well.”

“What about lunch?” Wes asked quickly. “You have to eat lunch somewhere, don’t you?”

“I suppose I could. But today is Monday, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, it is. Does that matter?” Wes replied, confused as to what difference it would make what day it was.

“Well, I always eat beaver on Monday, so if you would tell your cook to fry me up some beaver tail in a little bear grease, I’d be glad to join you for lunch.”

Wes and McGrath looked at each other with a rather desolate expression on their faces.

Smoke laughed. “Well, I suppose I can make an exception. I’ll be there and I’ll eat whatever you have.”

Wes and McGrath weren’t the only ones who greeted Smoke that morning. There were even more students in front of the Old Main building today than there had been the morning after the speakeasy episode the night before. Several went out of their way to shake hands with him.

“What is all this about, Wes?” Smoke asked when, finally, they had run the gauntlet and were safely inside the building.

“It’s you, Mr. Jensen. Everyone wants an opportunity to see history, firsthand.”

“Boy, are you saying I’m history?” Smoke asked with a snarl.

“Oh, uh, no, I mean, uh, it’s just . . .”

Smoke laughed. “I’m teasing you, Wes. At my age, I have seen a lot of history, so I guess, in a way, that does make me history.”

“Uh, yes, sir,” Wes said, somewhat awkwardly. “I’ll, uh, just get everything set up for the recording session today.”

“Good morning, Smoke,” Professor Armbruster said when Smoke arrived, going directly to the recording studio.

“Good morning, Professor. Wes and a young man named McGrath have invited me for lunch at their fraternity house. Am I taking a risk by eating there?”

“Smoke, after everything you’ve been through, they could be serving bugs and I don’t think it would bother you.”

“Depends on the bug,” Smoke said. “Grub worms can be quite tasty.”

Professor Armbruster laughed. “I figured you would say something like that. When we left off, I believe you said that John was considering a trip to St. Louis to sell his furs. Did he go to St. Louis?”

“Yes,” Smoke said. “And it proved to be quite profitable for him.”

[ After the Civil War, steamboat traffic on the Missouri River became a common sight. The boats were considerably different in design from the Mississippi River boats, with few of the fancy fittings. The most important feature of a Missouri River boat was that it be of light weight. From 140 to 170 feet long and 30 feet wide they had a shallow hull, and spoonbill-shaped bow. With this design they could carry two hundred tons of cargo through waist-deep water, safely navigating over anything from sandbars to whitewater rapids. In addition, this type of vessel was less expensive to fuel and much easier to steer.

Steamboat captains in the late 1870s could charge as much as $1,200 every month for their services, an enormous sum, compared to the average income of $40 per month for the rest of America. They had to be extremely skilled captains and a good hand at striking a deal with merchants. The payoff was huge, however, since a steamboat could carry cargo worth a profit of up to $40,000.

A few words about the history of the city of St. Louis might enlighten the reader, and thus help in understanding the significant role the city played in the lives of not only the mountaineers and the fur trappers, but all of the western frontier.

The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis on July 27, 1817, which proved to be only the beginning of St. Louis as an important river city. By 1859, river traffic had increased to such an extent that St. Louis took its position as the second-largest port in the country, with only New York exceeding St. Louis in total commercial tonnage moved. Often as many as 170 steamboats could be counted on the levee.

Because of the junction of the Missouri River, St. Louis was uniquely positioned to truly become the gateway city to the West. It was fed by boats from the east, traversing the Ohio River, then entering the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois, to beat their way upstream to St. Louis. There was also a very busy schedule of boats that plied the Mississippi between St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and the seaport at New Orleans.

By the time the construction of the railroads began in the early 1850s, St. Louis had a population of almost eighty thousand people. The first westbound train left St. Louis in 1855. It was the railroads that eventually led to the diminution of the importance of the riverboats in the city’s economy.—ED. ]

Upper Missouri—1872

John built a raft, onto which he loaded his winter catch of furs, then he, Claire, and their son, Kirby, rafted downriver to Yankton. There, they boarded a Missouri riverboat, the Nellie Peck , for passage to St. Louis.

When John purchased the tickets, he was given a sheet of paper with the title, “Helpful Hints for Steamboat Passengers.”

Welcome Aboard the Missouri River Steamboat, NELLIE PECK.

This guide is published as a service for the traveling public. Careful attention to its information and suggestions will insure the riverboat patron a memorable journey. This guide describes the many accommodations found on the boat, and gives warnings about possible unpleasant situations.

Departure Time

The NELLIE PECK will leave terminal ports on scheduled times. The arrival and departure times change at ports along the river. Your steamboat captain, Captain Milton Saddler, prefers early morning departures. This will provide the NELLIE PECK with as many daylight hours as possible. It is not feasible to operate at night unless the moon is very bright. There is too much danger in navigating in the dark, especially in low water.

Cabin Passengers

Enjoy the best of steamboat travel. Staterooms for the NELLIE PECK are on the cabin deck. They are ten feet square with doors at each end, one to the interior passage and the other to the deck. The NELLIE PECK also provides clean mattresses and sheets on the berths. Curtains at cabin windows provide privacy to the passenger while dressing.

Toilet

Toilet facilities are vastly improved on the NELLIE PECK with a washstand and basin in each of the staterooms. For the deck passengers there are two washrooms, one each for ladies and gentlemen, located near the wheelhouse. Each deck washroom is equipped with a washbasin, one hair brush, a comb, a community toothbrush, and a roller-type towel. The crew keeps the pitchers filled with river water. The toilets are like the outdoor variety and placed next to the wheel.