Lee Line Steamers | Riverboat History

The value of the ROWENA LEE as insured by 3 insurance companies was $22,500.

The Greenwich Insurance Co. insured $5000 and paid $675.56 of the claim

The St. Paul Insurance Co.            ”         $2500 and paid $337.78  of the claim

The Sea Insurance Co                     ”         $5000 and paid $675.56 of the claim

Owners self insured                                    $7500 and paid $1013.34 of the claim

Total claims payments to raise and repair the ROWENA Lee was $3040.02

The Eagle Packet Company was a competitor of the Lee Line following the collapse of the St. Louis New Orleans Anchor Line in 1898.   A postcard with the REES LEE in the fore ground somewhere on what appears to be the Mississippi River shows a steamer tied up on the river bank.  Enlargement of the picture reveals the steamer was the SPREAD EAGLE.  This REES LEE postcard was post marked 1910.

Nice Rotograph postcard of the STACKER LEE also known as STACK-O-Dollars by her crew because the STACKER was a very profitable boat.

The Rotograph Co. printed millions of postcards.  The link below gives a history of the Photographische Gesellschaft, founded in 1894.

http://rotographproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/brief-history.html

This is the newest addition to my collection of Lee Line passes.

Corporate letterheads today are quite bland compared to ones from the late 1800’s and early to mid 1900’s.  A one page story proudly conveys exactly what this company produced.   The Rees family supplied engines and other hard parts that went into Lee Line boats.  They also were partners in the Valley Line which was the combination of the Delta Line (KATE ADAMS) and the remaining Lee Line boats.  This merger occurred January 1924.

The S&D Reflector is the quarterly magazine published by the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen.  Membership is open to anyone who is interested in the steamboat era.  Membership cost $35 per year with family subscription costing $1 per additional family member.  Full membership includes the quarterly S&D Reflector, admission to the Ohio  River Museum, the towboat W. P. SNYDER, JR. both at Marietta Ohio and voting rights at the annual meeting.  Family members enjoy all the same privileges except a copy of the Reflector.  You may become a member at www.riverhistory.org.

This December 2015 issue concludes the history of the Lee Line.  These 4 issues were possible primarily thanks to Capt. William Tippitt whose lengthy research using newspaper accounts from multiple decades past and oral accounts he heard from rivermen who new my Lee ancestors.   His history was complied in the early 1970’s and thankfully was microfilmed with copies sent to the Tennessee State Library at Nashville, Louisiana State University at Baton Rogue Louisiana as well as several other libraries.  David Tschiggfrie editor of the S&D Reflector gracious granted me permission to use the above image as well as skillfully edited my four part submissions.

This advertising mirror is a recent find.   The maker was the Whitehead and Hoag Co. Newark NJ.

A recent EBay purchase.  D. A. Loomis was quite a traveler as numerous passes from this era bear his name or he made a hobby of collecting railroad and steamboat passes.  Comping executives of railroads and steamboat companies was a common practice in the transportation industry.  Thankfully these passes were preserved and are sold from time to time.

These pictures are from a family album dating from 1907 1908 and were sent to me by Susan Lea whose family members are pictured.  They are the Schott and Ruppel families.  The man in the lower two pictures is thought to be the Captain of the STACKER LEE.  Thank you Susan for sharing these old family pictures.  I am always looking for old pictures such as these.

The STACKER LEE was nicknamed Stack-O-Dollars by her crew.  She was build following the demise of the St. Louis New Orleans Anchor Line a St. Louis major competitor.  Prior the end of the Anchor Line, the Lee Line went no further than Cairo Il.  Following the end of the Anchor Line, the Lee Line built 3 large packets, the STACKER LEE, JAMES LEE and the PETERS LEE.   JAMES LEE ran to and above St. Louis.  The STACKER LEE likewise ran the St. Louis trade while the PETERS LEE ran up the Ohio River to Cincinnati Ohio.  However these boats ran various routes as needed and competition allowed.  The Lee Line built several smaller packets in the late 1890’s in addition to the above boats.