''Black Hawk'' was one of three small iron-propeller driven steamboats manufactured in
Philadelphia in about 1850 and shipped to the west coast of United States to be placed in river service. The other boats were
''Eagle'' and ''
Major Redding''.
[
] These boats were some of the earliest steamers to operate on the
Willamette and
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
rivers. They could carry about 12 passengers and perhaps a ton of cargo.
The boats had to be small to make the run to
Oregon City
)
, image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
, image_flag =
, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
, which passed through the Clackamas rapids a short distance downriver from the town.
[
]
Dimensions
''Black Hawk'' was 30 feet long, with a beam of 7 feet and depth of hold of 3 feet.[ The boat's tonnage was 10.][ Tonnage was a measure of volume and not weight.
]
Sacramento river service
''Black Hawk'' ran on the Sacramento River in 1850 under captain and engineer Jacob Kamm
Jacob Kamm (12 December 1823 – 16 December 1912) was a prominent early transportation businessman in Oregon, USA.
Early life
Kamm was born on 12 December 1823, in Canton of Glarus, Switzerland.
His family migrated to America when he was 8 to ...
.[ Kamm was able to patch up ''Black Hawk'' and it could still reach Sacramento, but this was, according to Kamm's remarks in 1911, the swan song of the ''Black Hawk'' which was condemned.][
]
Transfer to Oregon
''Black Hawk'' was brought to Oregon by Capt. Richard Hoyt, Sr. (1814-1862) from San Francisco on the barque ''Ocean Bird''.
''Black Hawk'' arrived at the landing at Oregon City on Sunday, May 18, 1851.[
On May 29, 1851, ''Blackhawk'', under Capt. Charles Clark, was making a regular daily run between Oregon City and Portland, departing Oregon City in the morning, and returning the same day from Portland.][ Also on May 29, 1851, the editor of the Oregon Spectator reported that the captain of the ''Black Hawk'' had "chalked our hat", that is, provided the editor free passage on the steamer, on a trip to Portland and back.
On Saturday, May 31, 1851, ''Black Hawk'' had to carry the freight and passengers of the new sidewheeler ''Lot Whitcomb'', when the ''Whitcomb'', a much larger vessel, broke a few paddle buckets on one wheel during an excursion to the ]Cascades Rapids
The Cascades Rapids (sometimes called Cascade Falls or Cascades of the Columbia) were an area of rapids along North America's Columbia River, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. Through a stretch approximately wide, the river ...
, and as a result had to stop at the foot of the Clackamas Rapids rather than proceeding on to Oregon City.
In June, 1851, Martin Angel, a resident of Oregon City, bought a one-half interest in the ''Black Hawk''.
By June 26, 1851, the boat's management, C.H. Clark & Co., were advertising more specific departure times, 8:00 a.m. from Oregon City, and 2:00 p.m. from Portland, with towing "attended to on short notice."
The water level in the Willamette River fell greatly in the last two weeks of July, 1851.[
In September 1851, the steamer ''Black Hawk'' was taken below the Clackamas Rapids, to be operated on the river away from Oregon City. About November 1, 1851, Black Hawk returned to Oregon City, running a route from there to the Clackamas Rapids and back. The Willamette River was then rising because of fall rains, making steamboat navigation much easier.]
Disposition
''Black Hawk'' was dismantled in 1852.[
]
Notes
References
Books
*
*
On line historic newspaper collections
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{{Willamette River Steamboats
Steamboats of Oregon
Steamboats of the Willamette River
Oregon Steam Navigation Company
Steamboats of California
Ships built in Philadelphia