Category Archives: Wheeling Suspension Bridge

WHEELING’S GATEWAY PARK 2022 / WALKER DICK. OHIO VALLEY YACHT CLUB. WHEELING, WV by John Bowman

WALKER DICK. OHIO VALLEY YACHT CLUB. WHEELING, WV by John Bowman July 9, 2021 WW II had just ended and in 1945 a young man in his early 20s made his return to Wheeling.  This was Walker Dick.  Walker had been in New York City performing and working as an acrobat when his family gave […]

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THREE QUEENS VISIT WHEELING, WV the American, the Delta, and the Mississippi Queen Steamboats By John Bowman

American Queen 1994-             The McDermott Shipyard built the stern-wheel tourist-excursion boat American Queen in 1994 for the Delta Queen Steamboat Co.  She was launched in 1995 at an approximate cost of $60 million.  Her steam engines were from the U.S. dredge Kennedy.  As the paddle wheels were too small to move the large boat […]

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TOWBOAT PHOTOS JOHN BOWMAN’s COLOR BOAT PHOTOS R – T Post 5 of 6

The majority of these Diesel Towboat Color Photos were taken at 40o 05’ 55.60” N 80o 42’ 21.04” W. Elevation 667’ Ohio River mile 87.6 at the lower end of (Warwood), Wheeling, West Virginia circa the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many photos (150+) were taken on the Lower (L) Mississippi River, 30 at Warfield Point, near […]

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TOWBOAT PHOTOS JOHN BOWMAN’s COLOR BOAT PHOTOS M – Q Post 4 of 6

The majority of these Diesel Towboat Color Photos were taken at 40o 05’ 55.60” N 80o 42’ 21.04” W. Elevation 667’ Ohio River mile 87.6 at the lower end of (Warwood), Wheeling, West Virginia circa the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many photos (150+) were taken on the Lower (L) Mississippi River, 30 at Warfield Point, near […]

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TOWBOAT PHOTOS JOHN BOWMAN’s COLOR BOAT PHOTOS D – I Post 2 of 6

The majority of these Diesel Towboat Color Photos were taken at 40o 05’ 55.60” N 80o 42’ 21.04” W. Elevation 667’ Ohio River mile 87.6 at the lower end of (Warwood), Wheeling, West Virginia circa the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many photos (150+) were taken on the Lower (L) Mississippi River, 30 at Warfield Point, near […]

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TOWBOAT PHOTOS JOHN BOWMAN’s COLOR BOAT PHOTOS A – C Post 1 of 6

The majority of these Diesel Towboat Color Photos were taken at 40o 05’ 55.60” N 80o 42’ 21.04” W.  Elevation 667’ Ohio River mile 87.6 at the lower end of (Warwood), Wheeling, West Virginia circa the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many photos (150+) were taken on the Lower (L) Mississippi River, 30 at Warfield Point, near […]

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STEAMBOAT PASSAGE AND FARE MID – 1800s by John Bowman

When you booked passage on a 1800s steamboat, and depending on what you could afford, you found quite a difference between the conditions enjoyed by steamboat cabin passengers and deck passengers.  Those who could afford the best traveled in near splendor.  We are talking of ‘For that time’.  Boarding the boat at the bow, Forecastle, […]

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STEAMBOAT STACKS LOWERED FOR THE WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE by John Bowman

The River Coal or River Combine (R.C.) 1894 Coal Towboat Valiant down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and the Steel Bridge with lowered stacks.  In this, a second photo, the River Combine (R.C.) 1880 Coal Towboat Iron Age down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and […]

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THE WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE’S FIRST SUICIDE ATTEMPT 1854 by John Bowman

The First person to jump off the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. January 25th 1854, Capt. J.C. Jelly master of the steamer Albemarle, having just slipped away from the Wheeling wharf, observed a person leap from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.  He dispatched two crewmembers in a yawl to rescue the person, apparently still alive in the icy […]

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WHEELING’S FIRST OHIO RIVER FERRY BOATS and LAST 1789 – 1926 by John Bowman

Many of us cross the Ohio River daily, giving hardly a thought if any, to the crossing or to the bridge we used.  However, to cross the river two-hundred years ago was something one had to plan and ferryboats were the means one used.  Crossing the river on a ferry was costly, and it took […]

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