The Steamboat ''Iowa'' was revered as one of the largest and fastest boats on the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

in the mid 19th century; it is incorporated into the official

Seal of Iowa The Great Seal of the State of Iowa was created in 1847 (one year after Iowa became a U.S. state) and depicts a citizen soldier standing in a wheat field surrounded by symbols including farming, mining, and transportation with the Mississippi Riv ...

. Built in 1838, the ''Iowa'' was the first vessel named for the newly formed

Territory of Iowa The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remaind ...

. It weighed 112 tons, could pull 10

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...

s, and it set the speed record from

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1843, making the trip in 44 hours, a record that held until 1849. The ''Iowa'' sank after a collision with the steamboat ''Declaration'' on Oct. 1, 1847 while traveling from New Orleans to St. Louis. This liability for this collision was ultimately decided by the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

case ''John Walsh v. Patrick Rogers'' (54 U.S. 283–1852). However, the ''Iowa'' was apparently rebuilt, or a new steamboat was later rechristened ''Iowa'', since similar side-wheeler appeared twice in Barber and Howe's 1865 ''Loyal West in the Time of Rebellion'', and there is reference to the ''Iowa'' being used as a troop transport during the Civil War.

Later ships and boats named ''Iowa''

Several U.S. Navy ships were named , beginning in 1864. A stern-wheel rafter/packet named ''Iowa'' plied the Mississippi 1865–1900. A stern-wheel towboat named ''Iowa'' operated in the Mississippi 1921–1954; a contemporaneous dredge named ''Iowa'' also existed 1932–1956. An ocean-going steamer named ''Iowa'' was in use in the late 19th century. In 1898 an excursion steamboat named ''Iowa'' was launched in

Independence, Iowa Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000. History Independence was founded in 1847 near the center of present-day Buch ...

, after several years as a popular attraction, it was carried over the Independence dam by high water and was demolished.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iowa, Ss Shipwrecks of the Mississippi River History of Iowa Steamboats of the Mississippi River American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States 1838 ships Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois