The　arrival　of　the　railroad　at　the　head　of　the　Ohio　River　in　the　early　fifties　brought　the　East　into　an　immediate　touch　with　the　Mississippi　Valley　unknown　before。　But　however　bold　railway　engineers　were　in　the　face　of　the　ragged　ranges　of　the　Alleghanies；　they　could　not　then　outguess　the　tricks　of　the　Ohio；　the　Mississippi；　or　the　Missouri；　and　railway　promoters　could　not　afford　to　take　chances　on　having　their　stations　and　tracks　unexpectedly　isolated；　if　not　actually　carried　away；　by　swirling；　yellow　floods。　The　Mississippi；　too；　had　been　known　at　times　to　achieve　a　width　of　seventy　miles；　and　tributaries　have　overflowed　their　banks　to　a　proportionate　extent。　It　was　several　decades　ere　the　Ohio　was　paralleled　by　a　railway；　and　the　Mississippi　for　long　distances　even　today　has　not　yet　heard　the　shrill　cry　of　the　locomotive。　So　the　steamboat　entered　its　heyday　and　encountered　little　competition。　Until　the　Civil　War　the　rivers　of　the　West　remained　the　great　arteries　of　trade；　carrying　grain　and　merchandise　of　every　description　southward　and　bringing　back　cotton；　rice；　and　sugar。
  The　rivalries　of　the　great　lines　of　packets　established　in　these　days　of　the　steamboat；　however；　equaled　anything　ever　known　in　railway　competition；　and；　in　the　matter　of　fast　time；　became　more　spectacular　than　anything　of　its　kind　in　any　line　of　transportation　in　our　country。　With　flags　flying；　boilers　heated　white　with　abundance　of　pine　and　resin；　and　bold　and　skillful　pilots　at　the　steering　wheels；　no　sport　of　kings　ever　aroused　the　enthusiasm　of　hundreds　of　thousands　to　such　a　pitch　as　did　many　of　the　old…time　races　northward　from　New　Orleans。
  The　J。　M。　White　and　her　performances　stand　out　conspicuously　in　the　annals　of　the　river。　Her　builder；　familiarly　known　to　a　generation　of　rivermen　as　Billy　King；　deserves　to　rank　with　Henry　Shreve。　Commissioned　in　1844　to　build　the　J。　M。　White　for　J。　M。　Converse　of　St。　Louis；　with　funds　supplied　by　Robert　Chouteau　of　that　city；　King　proceeded　to　put　into　effect　the　knowledge　which　he　had　derived　from　a　close　study　of　the　swells　made　by　steamboats　when　under　way。　When　the　boat　was　being　built　in　the　famous　shipyards　at　Elizabeth；　on　the　Monongahela；　the　wheel　beams　were　set　twenty　feet　farther　back　than　was　customary。　Converse　was　struck　with　this　unheard…of　radicalism　in　design；　and　balked；　King　was　a　man　given　to　few　words；　he　was　resolved　to　throw　convention　to　the　winds　and　trust　his　judgment；　he　refused　to　build　the　boat　on　other　lines。　Converse　felt　compelled　to　let　Chouteau　pass　on　the　question；　in　time　the　laconic　answer　came：　〃Let　King　put　the　beams　where　he　pleases。〃
  Thus　the　craft　which　Converse　thought　a　monstrosity　became　known　far　and　wide　for　both　its　design　and　its　speed。　In　1844　the　J。　M。　White　made　the　record　of　three　days；　twenty…three　hours；　and　nine　minutes　between　New　Orleans　and　St。　Louis。*　Of　course　the　secret　of　Billy　King's　success　soon　became　known。　He　had　placed　his　paddle　wheels　where　they　would　bite　into　the　swell　produced　by　every　boat　just　under　its　engines。　He　had　transformed　what　had　been　a　handicap　into　a　positive　asset。　It　is　said　that　he　attempted　to　shield　his　prize　against　competition　by　destroying　the　model　of　the　J。　M。　White；　as　well　as　to　have　refused　large　offers　to　build　a　boat　that　would　beat　her。　But　it　is　said　also　that　an　exhibition　model　of　the　boat　was　a　cherished　possession　of　E。　M。　Stanton；　Secretary　of　War；　and　that　it　hung　in　his　office　during　Lincoln's　administration。
  *　This　performance　is　illustrated　by　the　following　comparative　table　showing　the　best　records　of　later　years　between　New　Orleans　and　St。　Louis；　a　distance　estimated　in　1844　as　1300　miles　but　in　1870　as　1218　miles；　owing　to　the　action　of　the　river　in　shortening　its　course。
  YEAR　　　　　　BOAT　　　　　　　　TIME　1844　　　J。　M。　White　　3　d。　23　h。　9　m。　1849　　　Missouri　　　　　4　d。　19　h。　　1889　　　Dexter　　　　　　　4　d。　9　h。　　　1870　　　Natchez　　　　　　8　d。　21　h。　58　m。　1870　　　R。　E。　Lee　　　　3　d。　18　h。　14　m。
  The　steamboat　now　extended　its　service　to　the　West　and　North。　The　ancient　fur　trade　with　the　Indians　of　the　upper　Mississippi；　the　Missouri；　and　the　Arkansas；　had　its　headquarters　at　St。　Louis；　whence　the　notable　band　of　men　engaged　in　that　trade　were　reaching　out　to　the　Rockies。　The　roll　includes　Ashley；　Campbell；　Sublette；　Manuel　Lisa；　Perkins；　Hempstead；　William　Clark；　Labadie；　the　Chouteaus；　and　Menardmen　of　different　races　and　colors　and　alike　only　in　their　energy；　bravery；　and　initiative。　Through　them　the　village　of　St。　Louis　had　grown　to　a　population　of　four　thousand　in　1819；　when　Major　Long's　expedition　passed　up　the　Missouri　in　the　first　steamboat　to　ascend　that　river。　This　boat；　the　Western　Engineer；　was　built　at　Pittsburgh　and　was　modeled　cunningly　for　its　work。　It　was　one　of　the　first　stern　wheelers　built　in　the　West；　and　the　saving　in　width　meant　much　on　streams　having　such　narrow　channels　as　the　Missouri　and　the　Platte；　especially　when　barges　were　to　be　towed。　Then；　too；　its　machinery；　which　was　covered　over　or　boarded　up；　was　shrouded　in　mystery。　A　fantastic　figure　representing　a　serpent's　open　mouth　contained　the　exhaust　pipe。　If　the　New　Orleans　alarmed　the　population　of　the　Ohio　Valley；　the　sensation　caused　among　the　red　children　of　the　Missouri　at　the　sight　of　this　gigantic　snake　belching　fire　and　smoke　must　have　thoroughly　satisfied　the　whim　of　its　designer。
  The　admission　of　Missouri　to　statehood　and　the　independence　of　Mexico　mark　the　beginning　of　real　commercial　relations　between　St。　Louis　and　Santa　Fe。　In　1822　Captain　William　Becknell　organized　the　first　wagon　train　which　left　the　Missouri　（at　Franklin；　near　Independence）　for　the　long　dangerous　journey　to　the　Arkansas　and　on　to　Santa　Fe。　In　the　following　year　two　expeditions　set　forth；　carrying　out　cottons　and　other　drygoods　to　exchange　for　horses；　mules；　furs；　and　silver。
  Despite　the　handicaps　of　Indian　opposition　and　Mexican　tariffs；　the　Santa　Fe　trade　became　an　important　factor　in　the　growth　of　St。　Louis　and　the　Missouri　River　steamboat　lines。　In　1825　the　pathway　was　〃surveyed〃　from　Franklin　to　San　Fernando；　then　in　Mexico。　This　Santa　Fe　trade　grew　from　fifteen　thousand　pounds　of　freight　in　1822　to　nearly　half　a　million　pounds　twenty　years　later。
  By　1826　steamboat　traffic　up　the　Missouri　began　to　assume　regularity。　The　navigation　was　dangerous　and　difficult　because　the　Missouri　never　kept　even　an　approximately　constant　head　of　water。　In　times　of　drought　it　became　very　shallow；　and　in　times　of　flood　it　tore　its　wayward　course　open　in　any　direction　it　chose。　〃Of　all　variable　things　in　creation；〃　wrote　a　Western　editor；　〃the　most　uncertain　are　the　action　of　a　jury；　the　state　of　a　woman's　mind；　and　the　condition　of　the　Missouri　River。〃　A　further　handicap；　and　one　which　was　unknown　on　the　Ohio　and　rare　on　the　Mississippi；　was　the　lack　of　forests　to　supply　the　necessary　fuel。　The　Missouri；　it　is　true；　had　its　cottonwoods；　but　in　a　green　state　they　were　poor　fuel；　and　along　vast　stretches　they　were　not　obtainable　in　any　quantity。
  The　steamboat　linked　St。　Louis　with　that　vital　stretch　of　the　river　lying　between　the　mouth　of　the　Kansas　and　the　mouth　of　the　Nebraska。　From　this　region　the　great　Western　trail　ran　on　to　California　and　Oregon。　In　the　early　thirties　Bonneville；　Walker；　Kelley；　and　Wyeth　successively　essayed　this　Overland　Trail　by　way　of　the　Platte　through　the　South　Pass　of　the　Rockies　to　the　Humboldt；　Snake；　and　Columbia　rivers。　From　Independence　on　the　Missouri　this　famous　pathway　led　to　Fort　Laramie；　a　distance　of　672　miles；　another　800…mile　climb　brought　the　traveler　through　South　Pass；　and　so；　by　way　of　Fort　Bridger；　Salt　Lake；　and　Sutter's　Fort；　to　San　Francisco。　The　route；　well　known　by　hundreds　of　Oregon　pioneers　in　the　early　forties；　became　a　thoroughfare　in　the　eager　days　of　the　Forty…Niners。*
  *　For　map　see　〃The　Passing　of　the　Frontier；〃　by　Emerson　Hough　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。
  The　earliest　overland　stage　line　to　Great　Salt　Lake　was　established　by　Hockaday　and　Liggett。　After　the　founding　of　the　famous　Overland　Stage　Company　by　Russell；　Majors；　and　Waddell　in　1858；　stages　were　soon　ascending　the　Platte　from　the　steamboat　terminals　on　the　Missouri　and　making　the　twelve　hundred　miles　from　St。　Joseph　to　Salt　Lake　City　in　ten　days。　Stations　were　established　from　ten　to　fifteen　miles　apart；　and　the　line　was　soon　extended　on　to　Sacramento。　The　nineteen　hundred　miles　from　St。　Joseph　to　Sacramento　were　made　in　fifteen　days　although　the　government　contract　with　the　company　for　handling　United　States　mail　allowed　nineteen　days。　A　host　of　employees　was　engaged　in　this　exciting　but　not　very　remunerative　enterprisestation…agents　and　helpers；　drivers；　conductors　who　had　charge　of　passengers；　in　addition　to　mail　and　express　and　road　agents　who　acted　as　　division　superintendents。　In　1862　the　Overland　Route　was　taken　　over　by　the　renowned　Ben　Holliday；　who　operated　it　until　the　　railway　was　constructed　seven　years　later。　Freight　was　hauled　by　　the　same　company　in　wagons　known　as　the　〃J。　Murphy　wagons；〃　which
  were　made　in　St。　Louis。　These　wagons　went　out　from　Leavenworth　　loaded　with　six　thousand　pounds　of　freight　each。　A　train　usually　　consisted　of　twenty…five　wagons　and　was　known；　in　the　vernacular　　of　the　plains；　as