Steamboats

The Red River along the eastern edge of North Dakota was a vital trade route for Native Americans, Metis, fur traders, and then Americans and Canadians. However, by the 1910s, the need for river transportation had been firmly supplanted by trains and automobiles. On this date in 1913, the Fargo Forum announced that one of the last links to the heyday of the river trade was broken. Charles B. Thimens, a former steamboat captain, had died.

In 1832, the Yellow Stone set a record voyage up the Missouri River by reaching Fort Union, on the border of present-day Montana and North Dakota.In 1837,…

On this date in 1918, the Benton Packet Company greeted the New Year with good news. The steamboat company welcomed the increased regulation of railroads.…