List of Steamboats

Black Eagle – Colorado River Steamship

The Black Eagle was a small, experimental screw-propelled steamboat built and operated briefly in 1907 on the Green River (a major tributary of the Colorado…
Call's Landing or Callville looking toward the west as it appeared in 1926 - Photo courtesy of R. F. Perkins

Callville, Nevada – Colorado River Steamship Landing

Callville Nevada is a ghost town and Colorado River Steamboat port, which is now submerged below the waters of Lake Mead. Bishop Anson Call founded…
View showing steamboat Cochan on the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona in 1900 - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Cochan – Colorado River Steamship

The Cochan was the last stern-wheel steamboat operated by the Colorado Steam Navigation Company (CSNC) on the Colorado River, running from late 1899/1900 until about…
View showing steamboat Cochan on the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona in 1900 - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Colorado Steamships

The Colorado River, flowing from the Rocky Mountains through the arid Southwest to the Gulf of California, was a challenging waterway—shallow, swift, and prone to…
Gila Steamboat at the Yuma Crossing Arizona, 1873.

Gila – Colorado River Steamships

The Gila was a wooden-hulled stern-wheel steamboat (sternwheeler) of the Colorado Steam Navigation Company that operated on the lower Colorado River from 1873 to 1899.…
Steamer "Cochan" on Colorado River at Needles. The Otis Marston Colorado River Collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Needles – Colorado River Steamship Landing

Needles, California, located along the Colorado River, played a significant role in the history of steamship navigation in the American Southwest during the mid-19th to…

Nina Tilden – Colorado River Steamships

The Nina Tilden was a stern-wheel steamboat that operated on the Colorado River from 1864 to 1874. It played a significant role in breaking the…
1950 Painting by William McKeever of the Bessie Brady is on display at the Eastern California Museum in Independence, CA. This image probably does not resemble the actual appearance of the vessel.

Owens Lake Steamships

Today it is difficult to imagine, but at one time not so long ago, Owens Lake Steamships ferried supplies and silver ore across Owens Lake…
Potholes California is a Colorado River Steamship landing.

Potholes California – Colorado River Steamship Landing

Potholes is a former gold mining camp and ghost town located in Imperial County, California.
Rioville, Nevada also known as Bonelli's Landing, circa 1900

Rioville, Nevada – Colorado Steamship Landing

Rioville, Nevada, was a small, short-lived settlement and ferry landing located at the confluence of the Virgin River (also called the Rio Virgin) and the…

Sacramento River Steamships

Photograph of a view of the steamship J.D. Peters on the Sacramento River, 1900-1910. The large steamship is at center and is spewing dark smoke…