First Boat on Hennepin

Submitted by Neil Wolf

First Boat on the Hennepin Canal 1907

November 22, 1907 1;2

BOATS NAVIGATE THE CANAL

Rambler in Charge of Engineer Reeves Makes Trip Through The Feeder to Sterling

The first canal boat to navigate the canal feeder arrived at “Port Tampico” the highway bridge due east of here Monday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock with a former Tampico young man, civil engineer H. E. REEVES, in charge. A large number of Tampico citizen were at the bridge and gave a mighty shout as the boat hove in sight around the curve in sight just below the railroad bridge and the dozen Tampico people who had been below this bridge and boarded the boat on the invitation of engineer REEVES waved their handkerchiefs and answered with a hurrah.

The boat was the Rambler which was pushed by a large gasoline launch. The Rambler is a fifty foot inspection boat fitted up on the plan of a house boat. In the front is the office and living rooms, back of this is the berths, dining room and kitchen.

Accompanying Engineer REEVES on the first trip over the canal were his wife and baby, a young lady and a crew of two men, all of whom have commodious quaarters and enjoyed the trip from Rock Island here very much.

The Rambler tied up at the bridge here Monday night and proceeded to that place after an uneventful voyage at 12:25 o’clock. Engineer REEVES while here Monday night was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Fred BREWER. Mr. REEVES’ parents formerly resided three miles east of Tampico and he spent his early manhood in this vicinity and of course had many friends who were especialy glad to welcome him as the first person to navigate the canal.

Speaking about the trip from Rock Island here Mr. REEVES said that as soon as the Marion completed the voyage on the main canal and got into Rock Island, The Rambler started east on the canal until she reached the **************** the soundings showed depths varying from five and one haff feet to seven. The shallowest place was in the aquaduct over Green River where the water is only five and one half feet deep. In some places progress was slow on account of large patches of “seaweed” but altogether the trip was a very successful one and it shows that the realization of the dreams of Tampico people have come true, that boats can and will go up and down the canal and that the “big ditch” will be a feature in the world’s transportaion. From Tampico to Sterling

The voyage of The Rambler up the 1canal feeder has proven that the canal is navigable, will handle boats of fair size and that Tampico to Sterling via water is no longer a dream. The Rambler made the trip from Tampico to Sterling in four hours, necessarily going slow on account of the fact that she was pushed by a gasoline launch which was given about all it could handle. On the boat when it left Tampico at 7:30 o’clock Tuesday morning were Engineer REEVES, Mrs. REEVES and baby, George ISHERWOOD, Mrs. REEVES’ hired girl who acted as cook and two members of the cre. Shortly after starting breakfast was served aboard, engineer REEVES taking the wheel while the crew dined. The canal trailed in front and behind like a vast ribbon and where it was built up above the surrounding country fine views were presented, otherwise it was a succession of dreary waste banks gliding by to the steady dum, dum of the engine. Farmers left the corn fields and waved welcomes as they stood on the banks and at nearly every bridge there was a welcome. About four miles from Rock Falls capttain WHEELER, Mrs. WHEELER, daughter and son, Miss Grace DEYOE, Mrs. HOHNENS, Mrs. W. M. DILLON and several others came aboard having come down the canal by the train to meet the boat. Twas a jolly party that waved a response to the crowd on the banks at Rock Falls nd listened to the din of a hundred whistles annoncing to the two cities that the first boat had come over the canal.

First to Navigate the Canal

When The Rambler pulled into Tampico last Monday on the canal it had**** board quite a delegation of Tampico citizens who had walked down to railroad bridge and boarded it on invitation of Engineer REEVES and those people were the first from Tampico to take a voyage on the canal. **************
*************************** Burk bridge where she got aboard and he then drove to the bridge east of town. The following is a list of The Rambler’s Tampico passengers as near as could be ascertained in the rush and crowd: Messrs. And Madames Ed EMMONS, Alfred SMITH, William PARENT, Jerry KELLY, Mrs. Ina HELLIER and daughter Lois, Miss Ethel SMITH, John STROUSS amd son, Bert GLASSBURN and others.