Lady Washington Sternwheeler

The Lady Washington was a sternwheeler (type of boat with the paddle wheel in the back) that took passengers up and down the Little River. It would moor at Riverside Park.

In 1906 the approximately 60 foot Lady Washington took passengers from the mill dam at the foot of Whitelock Street to the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Bridge, a distance of just over a quarter mile. A few weeks after starting its runs, this route was extended another few hundred feet northeast to the fairgrounds (between the railroad bridge and the Schacht Piano Company). It is believed that this boat was built on the shores of Little River. While traveling, the passengers were treated to piano playing for them to dance. The maximum capacity was said to be 250 passengers.

It appears that the concept behind the boat run was to be a sort-of early town bus, taking people from downtown at the mill dam to a landing at the foot of the fairgrounds. It took a minimum of four people to operate the boat: the captain, a pilot, an engineer, and a machinist. Because it was a paddle boat, it needed to turn around at each end of its route before it could make the return trip. Originally trips took about 45 minutes one way, but that time was decreased somewhat as the captain and pilot gained experience with the boat and the river. Still, a person could have walked the same distance in 10 to 15 minutes, even if they were walking at a leisurely rate. Additionally, weather (which affected the depth of water in the river, both high and low) and mechanical difficulties could cause delays or cancellations of the day’s runs. Finally, the flour mill for which the dam was built was sometimes affected by the need to operate the Lady Washington. If the water was too low for the boat, the mill would sometimes shut down, closing its mill race and raising the river level somewhat. Or, the mill would operate and the boat wouldn’t.

After the initial enthusiasm wore off, the number of passengers greatly decreased. As fares were only five cents, the venture did not turn a profit even though the tickets had to be bought in pairs of trips (good for a round trip or two one-way trips). It was decided to abandon this concept after a single season. Initially, a proposal was made to move the Lady Washington downriver a little and make runs between the LaFountaine Street Bridge and Brebaugh’s Island (near the Forks of the Wabash) where another park was to be developed. However, in order to enable this trip, another dam would have been required to ensure adequate water levels. So, the idea quickly foundered.

Finally, it was decided to send the boat to Logansport to attempt to turn a profit at that location. Due to flooding, a sinking probably caused by flood-driven timber, and frequent beaching on shallow bars, it took over two years to get the craft to Logansport.

A December 1909 article in The Wabash Plain Dealer, mentions plans between the captain of the boat and the owner Dr. McLin after the boat sank after a storm and lightening hit the prow of the boat. After much decay and inspection the boat was ordered destroyed. The engine was eventually sold to a company in Northern Michigan where it was used to saw wood.

While you cannot view Lady Washington, you can walk along the Little River via the Little River Trail, which is part of the Huntington Area Recreation and Trails (HART) system. 

1. Riverside Park Postcard. Indiana Memory. Accessed 15 May 2022. https://digital.library.in.gov/Record/PPO_IndianaAlbum-723B3C08-1327-433D-A20E-235517948120
2. “Riverside Park Passenger Packet Lady Washington,” Huntington Herald [Huntington, IN] 4 Jun 1906.
3. “River Boat Runs,” Huntington Herald [Huntington, IN] 4 Jun 1906.
4. “Lady Washington Popular with Hundreds of People,” Daily News-Democrat [Huntington, IN] 4 Jun 1906
5. “To Fair Grounds On Board the Boat,” Daily News-Democrat [Huntington, IN] 18 Jun 1906.
6. “Lady Washington Goes Down in Muddy Water,” Daily News-Democrat [Huntington, IN] 10 Jan 1907.
7. “Last of the Fated Lady Washington”, The Wabash Plain Dealer [Wabash IN] 3 Dec 1908.
8. “Brief Career for Pleasure Boat”, Huntington Herald-Press [Huntington IN] 22 August 1948
9. Little River Trail. HART-Gotrails.org. Accessed 15 May 2022. https://harta-gotrails.org/trail/little-river-trail/
10. Huntington County, Indiana. 1903. Herman Taylor, Warsaw, Ind.: National Map Co. Rockford, Ill.: Hixson Map & Litho. Co.