Sinking of the Steamer Golden Eagle album
Scope and Contents
The Sinking of the Steamer Golden Eagle album contains snapshots documenting the sinking of the Golden Eagle steamboat in the Mississippi River. Each photograph is accompanied by a caption providing a first-hand narrative account of the events. Photos show passengers boarding the boat at the St. Louis levee; passengers on a wooded island after being evacuated from the sinking boat; and the Golden Eagle listing and half-submerged in the river. The album was created by an unknown passenger on the voyage.
Dates
- 1947
Conditions Governing Access
No viewing restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. The user assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.
Biographical / Historical
The last voyage of the Golden Eagle was scheduled to be a seven-day trip from St. Louis to Nashville. The steamboat set off from St. Louis down the Mississippi River on May 17th, 1947. At about 2:30 am on May 18, the boat crashed into submerged rocks near Grand Tower Island, about 80 miles south of St. Louis. The rocks tore a hole in the hull of the boat, and fifteen minutes after the crash, passengers were asked to dress and get ready to leave the boat. The captain managed to maneuver the listing boat close enough to the island that all passengers were safely evacuated via gangplank to the shore. A passing towboat carried the passengers back to Grand Island, Illinois, where they boarded buses to return to St. Louis. The wreck was dismantled and removed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Golden Eagle was the last wooden-hulled passenger boat to travel the Mississippi.
Extent
0.04 Cubic Feet ( (1 album))
Language of Materials
English
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
No physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
Collection purchased from Brian Cassidy Bookseller in 2021.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies and item-level records of select images are posted as they are created and can be accessed through the Online Collections on the Missouri Historical Society website (mohistory.org/collections).
Digitized images are generated from the original item whenever possible and files are adjusted only to ensure an accurate representation. Master files are saved in TIF format and JPEG viewing files are automatically generated from the master files.
Formats
Album; Snapshots
Processing Information
Processed by Lauren Sallwasser, 2023.
- Title
- Guide to the Sinking of the Steamer Golden Eagle album.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Lauren Sallwasser using ArchivesSpace.
- Date
- 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society, Photographs and Prints Department Repository
Library and Research Center
225 South Skinker Boulevard
St. Louis MO 63105
photo@mohistory.org