Category: Destination4x4

Cocopah II – Colorado River Steamship

Posted on by

Cocopah II was a stern-wheel paddle steamer (sternwheeler) and the tenth steamboat to operate on the Colorado River. It entered service in 1867 as a replacement for the original Cocopah (often called Cocopah I).

Background and Construction

The original Cocopah, launched in 1859, had been one of the largest and most capable vessels on the river but was taken out of service around 1867. Its engine and boiler were removed, and the hull was hauled ashore at Port Isabel, Sonora (Mexico), to serve as housing for workmen at the port and shipyard.

George A. Johnson & Company (later reorganized as the Colorado Steam Navigation Company in 1869) built the replacement, Cocopah II, at Arizona City (present-day Yuma, Arizona) in March 1867. It was launched there in May 1867. The vessel completed Johnson’s main fleet of four steamers (Cocopah II, Colorado II, Mohave, and Nina Tilden) plus six barges that dominated Colorado River traffic from the late 1860s into the early 1870s.

Captain Isaac Polhamus (also spelled Issac in some accounts), the company’s senior steamboat captain and later known as the “Dean of the Colorado River,” commanded Cocopah II. Polhamus had previously captained earlier vessels such as Colorado I.

Specifications

  • Type: Wooden-hulled stern-wheel paddle steamer
  • Tonnage: 231 tons (about 3 tons lighter than the original Cocopah)
  • Length: 147.5 feet (7.5 feet longer than the original)
  • Beam (width): 28 feet (1 foot narrower than the original)
  • Draft: Very shallow (sources note under 20 inches when loaded, suited to the Colorado’s sandbars and fluctuating water levels)
  • Cargo capacity: Reports vary; one account credits it with carrying about 120 tons of freight on less than 20 inches of water.

These dimensions made it well adapted to the lower Colorado’s difficult conditions of shifting channels, sandbars, snags, and seasonal low water.

Role on the Colorado River

Cocopah II operated primarily on the lower Colorado River, running from the river mouth and delta area near Port Isabel, Sonora (on the Gulf of California), northward past Arizona City/Yuma to landings that served military posts, mining districts, and settlements in present-day Arizona, California, and Nevada. Key stops included Ehrenberg (formerly Mineral City), Aubrey City/Landing (near the Bill Williams River), Hardyville, and Fort Mohave.

It transported freight (supplies, mining machinery, ore, provisions, and general merchandise), passengers, and often towed barges to increase capacity. The boat supported the region’s mining booms (including silver and copper discoveries in areas such as El Dorado Canyon and La Paz), military logistics, and growing settlement. Woodyards along the route—frequently staffed by local Cocopah people—supplied fuel. Crews were diverse and included local Indigenous pilots and deckhands valued for their knowledge of the river’s shifting channels.

One notable performance was a reported record-breaking voyage from Aubrey City to Yuma (about 220 miles) in four days. Other accounts note efficient round trips, such as Yuma to Mohave (roughly 232 miles) in five days under capable captains.

By the late 1860s the company was moving substantial tonnage and earning strong profits. Cocopah II formed part of a fleet that, around 1873, included several steamers and barges making dozens of trips annually as far as Ehrenberg and Hardyville.

Decline and Ultimate Fate

The arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad transformed the economics of river transport. The railroad reached Yuma, bridged the Colorado River at Fort Yuma around 1877, and purchased the steamboat company. Rail service captured most of the long-haul freight and passenger traffic that had previously relied on the steamboats connecting to ocean vessels at the Gulf of California.

Cocopah II was retired in 1879. It was dismantled in 1881. (Some residual upper-river or local service continued with other vessels for a time, but the classic steamboat era on the lower Colorado effectively ended with the railroad’s dominance.)

Cocopah II exemplifies the peak and relatively rapid decline of Colorado River steamboating: purpose-built shallow-draft sternwheelers that opened the desert Southwest to reliable bulk transport in the mid-19th century, only to be rendered largely obsolete by the transcontinental railroads.

Comet – Colorado River Steamship

Posted on by

The Comet was a small sternwheel steamboat (paddlewheeler) that operated briefly in 1908 on the upper Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado River system, between Green River, Wyoming, and Linwood, Utah.

It was part of short-lived early 20th-century attempts to establish powered commercial navigation on the upper Green and Colorado rivers (in contrast to the longer, more successful steamboat era on the lower Colorado from the Gulf of California upstream to the Virgin River, roughly 1852–1916). These upper-river efforts faced severe challenges from low water, sandbars, swift currents, rocks, and rapids, and most vessels had very short careers.

Construction and Specifications

The Comet was built in Green River, Wyoming, by Holger (also referred to as Marius N. or Holger) Larsen and launched in July 1908 as the flagship of the newly formed Green River Navigation Company. Construction cost about $25,000. Steam engines were sourced from Chicago.

Key specifications (from contemporary lists of Colorado River system steamboats):

  • Type: Sternwheeler (stern-wheel paddle steamer).
  • Length: 60 feet.
  • Beam: 12 feet (one secondary compilation lists 20 feet; primary list data favors 12 feet).
  • Propulsion/engines: Coal-fired, two 20 hp engines.
  • Other: Shallow-draft design intended for the river’s variable conditions; cargo and passenger capacity is not precisely recorded in surviving summaries but was modest, suited to local freight and passengers rather than heavy bulk trade.

It represented an early shift on the upper Green from oar-powered craft to steam power.

Role Along the River

The Green River Navigation Company aimed to carry freight and passengers between Green River, Wyoming (a railroad town), and ranches downstream as far as Linwood, Utah (at the confluence of the Green with Henry’s Fork). This would have reduced reliance on overland freight and supported isolated ranches and communities.

Its maiden voyage was celebrated as a major local event tied to the Fourth of July 1908 festivities. It departed Green River for Linwood (accounts vary slightly on exact departure timing around July 4–7). The downstream leg was relatively successful (one report notes about eight hours), but the return trip proved disastrous: it took roughly 33 hours and was plagued by low water, sandbars, strong currents, and rocks. Passengers and crew repeatedly had to unload the boat and manually haul it past obstacles; fuel shortages forced stops at ranches for more coal.

Only a few trips were completed before operations ceased. The venture quickly proved impractical for regular commercial service.

Ultimate Fate

After its limited runs in 1908, the Comet was abandoned in the Green River a few hundred yards downstream from Green River, Wyoming (near the later site of the Highway 530 bridge area). Portions of the hull remained visible at low water for years afterward. Its bell was later salvaged and used by the local Rotary Club. A historical marker in Green River’s Island Park (Expedition Island area) commemorates the vessel and this brief chapter of river history.

The Comet’s failure mirrored other upper Green/Colorado experiments (such as the Major Powell, Undine, Cliff Dweller, Black Eagle, and Charles H. Spencer), which were similarly short-lived due to the river’s difficulties. Commercial steamboating never became viable on this stretch, unlike the lower Colorado, where vessels supported military posts, mining, and settlement until railroads and dams (notably Laguna Dam) ended the era.

Esmeralda – Colorado River Steamship

Posted on by

The Esmeralda (also spelled Esmerelda) was a stern-wheel paddle steamer that operated on the Colorado River from 1864 to 1868. It was notable as the first opposition steamboat to challenge the monopoly of George A. Johnson & Company, the first to regularly tow large cargo barges on the river, and the first steamboat to reach Callville, Nevada (near modern Lake Mead), in 1866.

Construction and Early Service

Built in 1862 at the 3rd Street shipyard of Patrick Henry Tiernan at Steamboat Point in San Francisco for Captain Washington Pitts, the Esmeralda was originally intended for the Sacramento River and upper San Joaquin River trade.

Specifications

(figures vary slightly by source; those for Colorado River service are most consistent):

  • Type: Stern-wheel paddle steamer
  • Length: Approximately 93 feet (some early accounts list ~100 feet)
  • Beam: About 20 feet (early accounts sometimes cite 24 feet)
  • Hold depth / draft: Hold ~3.5 feet deep; draft about 33 inches
  • Cargo capacity: Roughly 50 tons on the steamer itself; capable of towing a barge with up to 100 tons
  • Other: One deck and a square stern in original configuration

It was smaller than many of Johnson’s boats but relatively powerful for its size, making it well-suited for towing.

Role on the Colorado River

In early 1864, amid complaints about high freight rates and slow service from Johnson & Company’s monopoly (especially after mining booms increased demand), San Francisco merchants backed an opposition line. Captain Thomas E. Trueworthy’s Union Line acquired the Esmeralda. It was sent south under Captain Charles C. Overman, accompanied by the Victoria (a four-masted schooner converted from a barge, intended as a store ship at the river mouth). The Victoria was soon destroyed by the tidal bore.

At the mouth of the Colorado, Overman built the Black Crook, the first large tow barge used on the river (about 128 × 28 feet, ~100-ton capacity). Barges were towed on a ~100-foot cable attached amidships to avoid fouling the stern wheel, with a helmsman steering the barge in the steamer’s wake.

In early May 1864, Trueworthy took the Esmeralda (towing the Black Crook) upriver to Fort Yuma in just 3 days and 8 hours—demonstrating competitive speed even while towing. This challenged Johnson’s dominance and helped clear freight backlogs. Another rival, the Nina Tilden, soon joined the opposition. Competition intensified (Johnson responded with the powerful Mohave), rates fell, and excess capacity appeared by late 1864.

In summer 1865 the opposition boats consolidated into the Pacific and Colorado Steam Navigation Company (still under Trueworthy, with San Francisco backing). The key ambition was reaching Callville (established by Mormons under Anson Call as a potential “back door” port for Utah settlements, which could cut overland freight costs dramatically). An 1865 attempt failed at Roaring Rapids in Black Canyon.

In summer 1866, during high water, the Esmeralda (under Captain Robert T. Rogers, Trueworthy’s former first mate, and accompanied by promoter “Steamboat Sam” Adams) tried again with a barge and about 90 tons of freight. The three-month voyage was difficult due to scarce firewood (limiting power) and low water in places. At what became known as Ringbolt Rapids, the engine lacked sufficient power; a ringbolt was set in the canyon wall and the boat was winched through using its capstan. On October 8, 1866, it reached Callville—the farthest steamboat navigation point achieved on the lower Colorado at that time. The Arizona Legislature later formally thanked Rogers (and Captain William Gilmore) for the accomplishment. Goods from the trip remained in storage into early 1867 before being sold and hauled overland to Salt Lake City.

Ultimate Fate

Despite the Callville triumph, the company was deeply in debt. Upon returning downriver, the Esmeralda was seized by the Yuma County sheriff for unpaid debts. It passed briefly through the hands of the Arizona Navigation Company (an attempt by creditors to continue operations). In fall 1867 both the Esmeralda and Nina Tilden were sold to George A. Johnson & Company. The Esmeralda was dismantled in 1868.

Its short but eventful career helped break the early monopoly on Colorado River shipping, pioneered barge towing that became standard practice, and demonstrated the practical (if seasonal and difficult) upper limit of steamboat navigation toward the Mormon settlements—though the hoped-for major Utah trade route never fully materialized due to water conditions, costs, and later railroad competition.

General Rosales – Colorado River Steamship

Posted on by

The General Rosales was a short-lived propeller-driven (screw) steamship associated with the lower Colorado River in 1878, owned by the Gulf of California Steamship Company. It was launched at Yuma, Arizona Territory, in July 1878 and sent to Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, by September 1878.

It stands out in Colorado River steamboat history because nearly all vessels that operated successfully on the river from 1852 onward were shallow-draft paddle-wheelers (side-wheelers early on, then primarily stern-wheelers). These were designed for the river’s shifting sandbars, low water, strong currents, and hazards. The General Rosales was one of the rare screw-propelled vessels listed among them.

Specifications and Design Principles

Available records give these basic dimensions and characteristics:

  • Type: Propeller-driven (screw steamer)
  • Tonnage: 54 tons
  • Length: 96 feet
  • Beam: 16 feet
  • Draft: 4 feet
  • Launched: Yuma, Arizona, July 1878
  • Owner: Gulf of California Steamship Company
  • Disposition: Transferred to Guaymas, Sonora, September 1878

Design context on the Colorado River: Successful river steamers emphasized extremely shallow draft (often 12–30 inches loaded for stern-wheelers such as the Colorado, Mohave, or Gila series) so they could navigate sandbars and low water while carrying freight on deck. Stern-wheelers proved superior to side-wheelers for the upper river’s rapids and shallows. Engines were typically moderate horsepower, fueled by local wood (mesquite or cottonwood), and hulls were often built in sections in San Francisco or elsewhere, shipped by sea, and assembled at the river mouth or Yuma.

A propeller design with a 4-foot draft was less ideal for the shallow, silt-laden lower Colorado. Screw propellers perform better and are less vulnerable in deeper, clearer water; in shallow sandy conditions they risk fouling, damage, or reduced efficiency. This helps explain the vessel’s very brief time on the Colorado itself and rapid transfer to Guaymas. It was better suited to Gulf of California coastal or harbor work than sustained river navigation. Exact engine details, builder, and construction method (whether assembled from parts at Yuma or built locally) are not well documented in surviving secondary sources.

The name honored General Antonio Rosales (a Mexican liberal military leader from Sinaloa active during the French Intervention era of the 1860s), reflecting the company’s orientation toward Mexican ports and trade.

Historical Context and Role in Trade

Steam navigation on the Colorado River began in 1852 primarily to supply the isolated U.S. Army post at Fort Yuma more cheaply than overland wagon freight from California. George A. Johnson & Company (later the Colorado Steam Navigation Company) dominated the trade for decades with a fleet of paddle-wheelers that carried military supplies, mining equipment and ore, passengers, and goods supporting settlement and mining booms as far upstream as the Virgin River area. By the mid-1870s the company handled thousands of tons of freight annually.

Railroads began eroding this monopoly: the Southern Pacific reached Yuma in 1877 and bridged the river, sharply reducing the economic advantage of river transport for many routes. River steamers continued for upper-river and local freight, mining support, and residual traffic for some years, but the peak era was ending.

The General Rosales appeared in this transitional period. The Gulf of California Steamship Company (sometimes referenced in connection with subsidized Mexican “Fast Line” or Gulf of California services around 1877–1878) operated with an eye toward linking the Colorado River / Yuma area with Gulf ports, especially Guaymas. Mexican government subsidies supported certain American-linked steam lines serving Pacific and Gulf of California ports in these years.

Its role in expanding Colorado River trade was limited and short-lived:

  • It briefly operated in the Yuma area in mid-1878, at a time when river traffic still connected to ocean vessels at the Colorado River Delta / Port Isabel area and supported residual commercial activity.
  • Its prompt transfer to Guaymas indicates primary intended use on Gulf routes rather than sustained upriver service. This supported broader regional commerce between Arizona Territory, the Colorado Delta, and Sonoran/Gulf ports (Guaymas being a key Mexican port for Sonora trade, mining, and coastal shipping).
  • In the larger picture of Colorado River commerce, it represented a minor experiment with propeller propulsion and an attempt to maintain or redirect river-linked trade toward Mexican Gulf connections as railroads displaced traditional river freight.

Unlike the long-serving stern-wheelers of the Colorado Steam Navigation Company (Colorado II, Mohave II, Gila/ Cochan, etc.), the General Rosales left little operational record on the river itself. Primary detailed accounts (such as those drawing on Richard E. Lingenfelter’s Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916) list it but provide few additional operational narratives. Commercial steam navigation on the lower Colorado effectively ended after the Laguna Dam closed the river to through traffic in 1909.

Summary

The General Rosales was a modest 54-ton, 96-foot propeller steamer launched at Yuma in July 1878 by the Gulf of California Steamship Company. Its relatively deep 4-foot draft and screw propulsion made it better adapted to Gulf of California waters than to the shallow, changeable Colorado River, leading to its transfer to Guaymas within two months. It played only a fleeting role in Colorado River trade during the onset of the railroad era and is best understood as a vessel intended to help connect remaining river commerce with Mexican Gulf ports rather than as a major contributor to the expansion of upriver trade that characterized the paddle-wheeler fleets of the 1850s–1870s. Detailed contemporary operational logs, precise construction records, and cargo manifests for this specific vessel remain scarce in readily available sources.

General Jesup – Colorado River Steamship

Posted on by

The General Jesup (also spelled Jessup) was a pioneering side-wheel paddle steamer that operated on the Colorado River from 1854 to about 1859. It was the second steamboat on the river (after the short-lived Uncle Sam) and the first to prove sustained, commercially successful steam navigation on this difficult waterway. Named for U.S. Army Quartermaster General Thomas S. Jesup, whose department held the key supply contracts, the vessel transformed logistics for remote military posts, opened the lower Colorado to regular trade, and supported early exploration and settlement in what is now Arizona, California, and southern Nevada.

Background and Construction

Fort Yuma, established near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers, faced extreme supply challenges in the early 1850s. Overland wagon trains from San Diego or other California points cost $500–$800 per ton. Earlier attempts at river transport—including barges and the underpowered Uncle Sam (a 65-foot side-wheeler assembled in 1852 that reached the fort but later sank)—had limited success.

In late 1853, George Alonzo Johnson, with partners Benjamin M. Hartshorne and Captain Alfred H. Wilcox, formed George A. Johnson & Company and secured the U.S. Army contract to supply Fort Yuma. Learning from prior failures, they shipped the prefabricated parts of a stronger side-wheel steamer from San Francisco aboard a brig (often identified as the General Viel). The components were landed at a site in the upper tidewater/estuary of the Colorado River (in present-day Mexican territory) and reassembled there. The General Jesup reached Fort Yuma with its first cargo on January 18, 1854.

Design Principles and Specifications

The boat was purpose-built for the Colorado’s extreme conditions: strong currents, shifting sandbars, snags, seasonal low water, and a remote desert setting with no established shipyards.

Key design features included:

  • Shallow draft and flat-bottomed hull — Approximately 30 inches (76 cm) of draft when loaded (some accounts note as little as 24 inches light), allowing it to operate over sandbars that would ground deeper vessels.
  • Side-wheel propulsion — Paddle wheels mounted on the sides provided strong thrust against the river’s current. Overall beam was about 27 feet including the paddle guards (17 feet at the hull).
  • Power and capacity — A 50- to 70-horsepower steam engine (sources vary slightly) capable of carrying roughly 50 tons of cargo (some reports cite up to 60 tons). Length was 104 feet.
  • Prefabrication and modular assembly — Built in sections in San Francisco for transport by sea and reassembly at the river mouth, a practical solution for the isolated location.
  • Cargo-focused layout — Prioritized freight capacity over passenger accommodations or luxury fittings, with a wooden hull typical of mid-19th-century western riverboats.
  • Fuel logistics support — Success depended not only on the boat itself but on the establishment of wood yards along the lower river, often staffed by Cocopah people who supplied cut wood for the boilers.

These principles—shallow draft, adequate power, side-wheel drive suited to confined waters, and on-site assembly—directly addressed the lessons of the Uncle Sam and earlier failed efforts. Later Colorado River boats shifted toward stern-wheel designs (better for some river conditions and maneuverability) with even shallower drafts, but the General Jesup demonstrated that steam navigation was viable.

Operational History and Role in Expanding Trade

The General Jesup quickly established a reliable service. It made round trips from the Gulf of California (estuary/delta landings) to Fort Yuma in only four or five days, carrying full cargoes at $75 per ton. A single trip could generate around $4,000 in revenue—highly profitable for the era—and Johnson’s operation reportedly grossed substantial monthly sums. This dramatically undercut overland costs and made regular supply of the fort (and nearby settlements) feasible.

Beyond military logistics, the steamer catalyzed broader economic activity. It transported goods for settlers, early merchants, and later mining interests. Wood yards and regular schedules created infrastructure that supported growth at places like Yuma Crossing. In 1857–1858 the General Jesup pushed farther upriver under Johnson’s initiative (partly in competition with the U.S. Army’s Explorer expedition under Lt. Joseph C. Ives). It reached points near El Dorado Canyon / Pyramid Canyon (hundreds of miles above the mouth, in the area of present-day Lake Mohave), demonstrating that the upper river was navigable for practical purposes at certain water stages and supporting military interest in the region (including later establishment of Fort Mohave). The boat also carried troops and supplies during related campaigns.

The vessel faced the hazards typical of the Colorado: a boiler explosion in 1854 (while tied up, killing the engineer and scalding others), another serious incident later, and a sinking after striking a submerged rock near Picacho Landing on the return from its historic upriver voyage (it was raised, towed to Fort Yuma, and repaired). By 1859 the worn-out General Jesup was dismantled; it was replaced by the larger, more powerful stern-wheeler Cocopah (and other boats in Johnson’s growing fleet).

Legacy

The General Jesup proved that steam navigation could open the Colorado River corridor as a practical trade artery. It lowered transport costs enough to sustain military posts, encouraged settlement and commerce along the lower river, and paved the way for the larger fleet of the Colorado Steam Navigation Company era. That network ultimately moved thousands of tons of freight annually—supporting mining booms (La Paz, El Dorado Canyon, and others), military needs, and regional development—until railroads largely displaced river steamers in the late 19th century. As the first truly successful steamboat on the Colorado, the General Jesup marked the beginning of a distinctive chapter in Southwestern frontier transportation history.