Walking Through History Program: "The City of Many Names: The Hartford Steamboat and the Naming of Manhattan" Remote video URL Read more about Walking Through History Program: "The City of Many Names: The Hartford Steamboat and the Naming of Manhattan"
The Hartford Steamboat and its Supplies Steamboats were developed in the late 1700s; however, they were not a viable form of transportation until the early 1800s. The Hartford was a shallow draft stern wheeler built in 1851 in Pennsylvania. Since she was destroyed by fire, there is no existing evidence showing exactly what she looked like, but it is estimated that she was 155 to 165 feet long. She was designed to carry cargo and passengers and initially plied the lucrative river trade along the Ohio River. Read more about The Hartford Steamboat and its Supplies
Bibliography & Further Reading for the Hartford Steamboat Primary Sources: “Founded Manhattan.” Topeka Daily Herald (Topeka, KS), Nov. 15, 1904, https://www.newspapers.com/embed/145551854/"Omnibus." Buffalo Courier Express (Buffalo, NY), April 30, 1855, https://www.newspapers.com/embed/148828948/ Read more about Bibliography & Further Reading for the Hartford Steamboat
Notable Passengers Unfortunately, there is no definitive passenger list telling us the names of the 75 to 100 passengers who rode the Hartford steamboat from Cincinnati, Ohio to Manhattan, Kansas (called Boston in 1855). Here are a few of the notable passengers who we know were aboard: Read more about Notable Passengers
