PEORIA:
STEAMBOATS, PACKETS…OH MY!
Norman Kelly
Peoria was just a small bend in the Illinois River,
pretty much inhabited by tough frontier men that hunted, trapped and fished for
a living. The Peoria Indian Tribe was kicked out of here in 1720 and later out
of the State of Illinois. So if you are
looking for any Indian legacy you will have to look elsewhere. We, that is Peoria
As a trading village, we even early on drew people
from all over. Once we became a city in 1845, we actually dominated this entire
area. Look at all the small villages along the Illinois
River , i think there were a total of 32. Can you name even one that grew as large and
flourished like Peoria , Illinois
The main reason early on was the Steamboat. The
paddleboat, the Packet, the boats of all sizes and shapes that made their way
to the landing docks of Peoria ,
Illinois
FIRST
LANDINGS
The first boat to land here in Peoria
was from Saint Louis
That gift to Peoria continued to fuel our growth
probably up and just including the Civil War. Once the trains got to stealing
the business the steamboat era began to fade. It stayed viable mainly because
of the folks that just loved the boats. Vacation and excursions kept the boats
around a lot longer than some people thought they could last under the tough
competition.
Early on a customer could board a big old steamboat
and ‘rush’ off to Saint Louis, Missouri. Why a fella could get there in TWO
weeks and if would only cost $6.00 and that included food. They had entertainment and gambling here and
there on the boats and they were very popular.
Hell, for $2.50 you could board the boat here and take the exact trip.
Problem was you got no food and had to sleep on the deck. Still…they had plenty
of takers.
PEORIA:
1842. That was the year when boat
owners and city officials began keeping track of the comings and goings of the
great boat fleets. Forty-five different
boats plied these waters and during that year 414 different landings and
departures took place. Think of it…that is one hell of a lot of folks coming
and going. Many of these boats brought
in entertainers and many of them stayed for as long as a month. They lived in our hotels and played here
where Peoria boasted of 1100 seats scattered around downtown Peoria,
Illinois. We were a major draw to all of
the talent from New Orleans, Saint Louis and Chicago.
All during that decade Peoria seemed to be the
destination for an awful lot of folks. We began to grow and of course when the
first Distillery popped up here we really took off. Before the Civil War Peoria
had more distilleries and breweries in one area than any other city in the USA.
We were soon considered the Alcohol Capital of America. Lincoln
By 1847 478 Boats had visited Peoria and it looked
like there would be no end to their success.
Peorians never got tired of going down to the river to welcome the
FLOATING PALACES. Organized Steamboat
races drew people from as far away as Chicago and Saint Louis to town.
WATER STREET
Imagine if you can…you are twenty years old and a man
that has lived on a farm all of your life. Take a Beautiful Steamboat from Peru
to Peoria, Illinois. As you step off the
boat you are greeted by a beautiful landing. Just a half block up main is Water
Street. The young man can turn left or right and there before his eyes are
taverns, restaurants, and bordellos, just waiting for him. He can drink, gamble
or just fill his young eyes with the wonderment of beautiful women. That’s
right, right here in River City. This was the place to be. The town was growing up and businesses were
increasing daily. The churches and the
shops, along with the stockyards, the trains, the trucks the busy, busy
streets. This was the place and it called to the young farm men like a full
moon calls to lovers.
The boats played a major role in the Civil War and
friendly places like Peoria, Illinois were Havens, I can tell you that. Mail boats were soon used by the United
States Government to move packages and mail up and down the 325 miles of river
‘roadways’.
Some of these boats were opulent and gaudy and that is
exactly what people were looking for. The live entertainment on the boats was a
major attraction, and some people simply stayed on the boats during their
entire vacations.
Gambling was the preferred recreation on some of the
boats and some were outfitted for gambling, ladies and the Bawdy side of life.
Here in Peoria we had small barges like “Ike’s Gunboat” that pulled to shore to
pick up its customers and then went up and down the river. These boats were
raided once in awhile but managed to make a hell of a lot of money. Of course
floating bordellos were also popular with the local gentry here in early
Peoria. Some small barges were rigged out with a fight ring and boxing took
place. Some counties banned boxing and this was a good way to avoid the local
laws. All of this was word of mouth that
spread through the taverns as the week progressed to Friday and Saturday
Nights. Those were the two nights in
Peoria when the town separated the men from the boys.
1872: Peoria’s
magnificent Opera House opened in 1872 and was the most beautiful building that
this city has ever seen. It was not just for the rich…although they dominated
it. Rarely were the lights ever darkened in this beautiful venue, and the folks
from hundreds of miles flocked here. All during the heyday of the steamboat,
thousands came to Peoria for a ‘sophisticated’ night on the town. This city
benefited greatly from all that. Sadly the building burned to the ground. Folks in Peoria and for miles away mourned
the loss of this gem here in Peoria, Illinois. It was located on Hamilton
Boulevard, across from the courthouse.
Some of you remember it as the Peoria County jail, a building that
reeked with filth and finally it was torn down. Now it is a parking deck. It
was September 1909 when that grand old lady died a smoky, fiery death.
THE SWAIN
FAMILY
The steamboat was synonymous with the SWAIN family. We
still have many Swains living here in Peoria, Illinois.
Way back in the 1890’s and continuing through the
steamboat phase the Swains, the Bradley’s, the Detweillers all played a major
role in the good old Steamboat Days.
Wonderful boats that are listed belonged to the
Swains:
The Borealis Rex
1890
Julie Belle Swain
1917
David Swain
Verne Swain
Percy Swain
This boat docked at the Main
Street Saint Louis
These boats supplied entertainment and luxury to the
folks that had the price. Nothing new
there.
STEAMBOAT DISASTERS
It was not all romantic for the hard-working
Steamboats that worked the area here around Peoria and beyond.
1836: The steamboat Helen Mar Exploded her boilers
here at our landing in
Peoria, Illinois. “With a considerable loss of life.”
1851: The
Dakota Blew up blew up with Peoria in its sights. The tragedy killed 18.
1852: The
Prairie State’s boilers blew on an excursion near Peoria killing 20 people,
injuring many others with a loss of the boat.
1858: A sample
of what the boats brought in the way of excitement was COLONEL WOOD’S great monkey circus and burlesque
Troupe…Sensational…Little people’s acts and sensational entertainment right
there tied up at the foot of Main
Street
1840’s and
50’s: Great Ice Boat Races…even
steamboats captains drove these wild ice boats with sails…many wrecks and of course betting.
1892: Just off
the street at Hayward in Peoria the Frankie Folsom burst into flames after a massive explosion.
Many were injured and 12 were
reported killed.
1909: The Fred
Swain was a blazing inferno as the captain and crew kept the boat against the
bank until every person managed to get
off. Many of the crewmen were burnt and considered a hero as was the captain.
1918: On July
5, 1918 the worst disaster occurred not far from Peoria
when the Steamboat COLUMBIA
Peoria
Beaches
Along the Illinois River right here in Peoria many
Peorians will remember Kelly Beach and Al Frisco Beach.
Kelly Beach was owned by LEWIS PARK KELLY… this beach drew thousands
to Peoria and of course Peorians flocked to it as well. It was a boatyard…a picnic area...great
fishing and a person could rent anything they needed. The beach was simply
along side the Illinois river . Wonderful
place.
El Frisco Beach was not only a beach but a “Carnival”
setting as well. These places were
magnificent for the time.
THE RED ARROW
and other boats that took people on rides…Fast Criss Craft Speed Boats
that shot us across to Steak n Shake…the steam Boat races, the fun along the
river. The Bird Island called that went
into disarray and decent people never went near it. ECKWOOD PARK
The Cedar Street Bridge go there and watch it lift
up…usually got stuck..
People who visited Peoria usually walked down main to
the river and just stood around…ate their lunch and just loved being there.
ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER IN LATER
YEARS.
The War Years brought an awful lot of People downtown
and many events were staged to raise money for War Bonds. Most of the people eventually went down to
the river and there was always some display or something going on along the
river.
1941-1945 The
Illinois River played an important part in the war effort with its 325 miles of waterway…Up around the Great
Lakes and towns up there where boat building and assembly was going on…the
outlet to Saint Louis and New
Orleans was the Illinois River…and that meant going right past Peoria , Illinois
All along the river and certainly in Peoria we had
Coast Guard and other security people in and out of Peoria and these war ships
of all kinds floated BY. People felt lucky when they managed to see these ships
passing…LSD Subs All kinds of needed
ships for the war effort.
Freighters Patrol Boats…
Some of them were riding in other boats and barges and
some actually floated under their own power.
29 subs and an estimate of around 700 different craft…of course they kept all
that secret but they did put up a memorial sign last year or so ago…
Huge number of private boats…as well...and of course
the Yacht Club and private Marinas...one time Huge fishing place like 30,000 lbs of carp to NY and Ice
Company…the Breweries the distilleries
and the Fish Companies…
Today we make very little $$ directly off the
river…back then we made a hell of a lot of $$$ from using the river…Now we just
stand and LOOK at it….
SPIRIT OF PEORIA
JULIA BELLE SWAIN
built 1971 dedicated here by
Julia Swain (Judy) Shelton 1973 with a Pabst Bottle and a Peoria
Singer John Horton worked and entertained on it 156 feet
400 passengers no idea where it
is now.
UNDER THE
RIVER
Rumors that the Illinois River in the Peoria area was
some kind of “Dumping place” for our local gangsters is just another stupid
myth that
People love to perpetuate.
I have researched our history from 1840 thru
1950 and even beyond for my book
Murder In Your Own backyard.
I can tell you that the river Usually gave up its
dead…and it was rare that authorities did not eventually find whatever body
they were looking for.
For Instance let’s shoot some poor guy…take him out in
the middle of the river and just dump him…Now he will be found maybe not here but probably before he gets to
Pekin.
Of course if you took your time and put enough weight
on him…chances would be good he may not be found. But all the missing People reports that I
read about and all the folks that just seemed to have disappeared did not all
go into the river...but some certainly could have.
Problem is for all u gangster fans is that maybe
one…sometimes 2 bodies a year were never found nor was any trace of the missing
person found…Most of those according to the police “Don’t want to be found.”
As a historian I report only recorded deaths…those
that were found in the river…Mostly suicides or accidents...and those that were
murdered...and the body found/
Truth is folks back in the 30’ 40’s and 50’d did very little of Hiding
bodies...there was a fight someone was killed...police called…Bodies were found
in apartments…houses, ditches, parks, creeks and the river. There were domestic
killings of spouses and children as well.
Cars were left abandoned and sometimes notes in
them…sometimes the door was left open and police assumed they went into the
river…a procedure was set in place and most of the time those bodies were
found. Some people faked that scene and
just disappeared..
One guy raced down main and flew into the river…two
days later another man did the same thing but he was saved.
HUNTERS AND SUCH
Every duck season hunters shot each
other…themselves…fell in, were tipped over and died. All those bodies were
eventually found.
1941…21 suicides were reported by the coroner…most of
them by handgun…shotgun or hanging. Always found by a loved one.
A few shot themselves on a grave of a loved one.
Water burial…Zefa Cicie…Found in the river near Main
Street. Zefa had a bruise on the head…
Water in the lungs…so he drowned…why the bruise and
how did he get in the water?
Neil Harold and Carl Griggs…drowned.
Henry Smith and daughter drowned.
1943
6 murders no
body in water
14 suicides 5 in water
1944
354 Coroner Cases…No bullet ridden bodies out of the
river
Jesse Davis Found in river…Coroner said he Died of
Pneumonia. Same questions how did he get in the river???
1945: Mae
Johnson Anna Smith Earl Gibson…all pulled from the river near Peoria
Divorce took toll…1,127 in our county SMOKE
1946 River Louis Buynawskas.
Suicide by river… Delores Closen Bobby Davis 47
RIVER HERO
BEAVER
WOODRUFF: Peoria’s River
Man
Saved several people
also warning them etc…he found many bodies
Plus rescued people…a true hero that everyone knew
about in the 30’s and 40’s.
1947
1947: Seven
Murders 11 Manslaughters
George Smith
Catherine Denny
August Gess George
Harrison
1948 8 murders
Police brought into police station 9,298 people…
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