Lafayette Ferry Service

A ferry widely known from St. Louis to St. Paul was Specht's Ferry, in Iowa. In 1838 Hiram Wells was granted a license to establish a ferry across the Mississippi river from the Potosi landing, to Wells Landing in Iowa. Wells Landing was on steamboat cards giving the distances between all landings between St. Louis and St. Paul. Mr. Wells retired from the business and was succeeded by James F. Chapman who in turn disposed of the ferry franchise to an enterprising German named John Specht in the early 1850s. He built a large three story stone house at the landing which later was converted by the C. M. & St. Paul railroad, into a station and post office that continued to carry the name of Specht's Ferry.

The Port of Potosi

Having been built along the Grant and Mississippi rivers, Lafayette became shipping depot, with the construction of the "Port of Potosi". The rivers were still fresh and clear when the first settlers came to Lafayette. The steamers came up Grant Slough from the Mississippi River and to Lafayette (Potosi) which was the principal port in Grant County. However, the river filled with silt from the runoff of fields and from where the timber had been cut off. Some of the influential politicians managed to get money from the government for a canal to be built from the Mississippi to Grant River. The canal was built using scrapers pulled by mules, but it soon after silted in and Lafayette (Potosi) lost its shipping industry. This loss of shipping was one of the main factors leading to Lafayette's (Potosi's) decline.

However, when the port was in its heyday, it was an important hub for transportation and shipping, in particular in the shipping of lead, as this excerpt from Butterfield's History of Grant County recounts.

“From the report of the Port of Potosi, April, 1843, we learn that the steamer “Rapids” arrived April 24 from St. Louis with merchandise, sundries, and twenty five passengers. —Steamer Osage from St. Louis arrived—departures: Steamer Rapids for St. Louis April 25; steamer Osage for St. Louis, April 26, with 3,000 pigs of lead. Stock of lead on hand today, 15,000 pigs-our furnaces all in blast. Freight to St. Louis 12.5 c. Price of lead $2.12.5 cash.”

The Steamboat Potosi

For years, the steamboat “Potosi” owned by the Potosi Brewing Company was almost an institution. Every weekday morning during the navigation season, teams of huge draft horses, their wagons piled high with kegs of beer were loaded on the lower deck of the steamboat. The upper deck was reserved for passengers and could hold as many as 200. The S.S. Potosi captained by George Kimbel also stopped for passengers and freight along the way. This popular beer, made from “clear spring water” was unloaded at Dubuque, the enormous horses pulling their heavy wagons and finishing the deliveries.

In late afternoon, the steamboat returned to Potosi bringing the wagons with their empty beer kegs, the tired horses and the passengers. The boat pushed its way through the canal and docked at the harbor. A Potosi livery bus met the boat, and took the passengers up the valley to the village. The draft horses drew the wagons loaded with empty wooden kegs and cases up to the brewery.

On fine Sundays, the S. S. Potosi served as an excursion boat taking passengers to Dubuque to see circuses, plays or entertainment of other kinds.

Steam Boat Lines and Travel

The following is an excerpt from With the Potosi Pioneers, by Judge Wilmott.

In the steam boats heyday it was not an uncommon sight to see two or three large packets, besides tugs and tow boats daily passing up and down the river, and frequently landing at Potosi. The first regular line of steamers were known as the Galena and Minnesota packet lines, running between St. Louis and St. Paul. In their line-up were such boats as the Gray Eagle, The War Eagle, Key City, Northern Light, Itasca, Minnesota and Muscatine.

A river voyage in the old days was a pleasurable affair with comfortable berths, unsurpassed meals, dancing at night, poker games and bars well stocked with whiskey, wine and cigars of ye olden times, and last, but not least, the antics and songs and dancing of the roustabouts all combined made things pleasant for the traveler.

In later days the Galena and Minnesota packet line was succeeded by the Davidson or White Collar line, and a rival line known as the Northern or Red Collar line. The Collars as they were called were painted in broad bands around and near the tops of the smoke stacks to denote the boats from a distance of the rival lines. Competition between the two lines for passenger and freight traffic at times was very spirited, freight was carried at low rates, and in some instances passengers were given free berths and meals, and a money consideration on the side to embark on one or the other of the boats of the rival lines.

In addition to the handsome boats heretofore mentioned, the palatial steamers Alex. Mitchell, S.S. Merrill, LaCrosse and Quincy were added to the White Collar line and Phil Sheridan, Winona, Red Wing and Dubuque to the Red Collar line. Another Steamboat line that did an immense business in river traffic was known as the Diamond Joe line, owned principally by Joseph Reynolds of Chicago. He got the name of Diamond Joe for constantly wearing a diamond pin. The boats that he controlled were the Diamond Joe, the Mary Morton, Pittsburgh, St. Paul and Sidney.

The coming of railroad on each side of the river paralleling the river between the most important landings caused the river traffic to lose its prestige and the business of the river packets was less and less as the years went on, and finally the business ceased entirely