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Sinking of the Steamer Golden Eagle album

 Collection
Identifier: P1159

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.

Related Materials

  • A0428: Eagle Packet Company Records, 1879-1959
  • 1967-084-0001: Pilothouse of the Golden Eagle Steamboat

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

Contact:
Library and Research Center
225 South Skinker Boulevard
St. Louis MO 63105