Jerry MacMullen (1898–1981)

A pleasantly entertaining description of transportation by paddle-boat in California, mostly on the rivers, but also in the bays, coastwise and around the Horn. It was a mode that was used most in the mid- to late- 1800s, and having pretty much run its course by the 1930s as competition by railway and highway made it obsolete. Most of the boats were powered by steam, although some were diesel-powered.

Although I lost track of the myriad names of boats and their captains, there are plenty of anecdotes of boat construction, sinkings, races and subsequent boiler explosions (which often resulted in multiple losses of life) that made this more than just a dry list of facts.

Also included are five appendices and an index. Appendix A is Steamboats of the California Rivers. It lists the names of the boats alphabetically, the type of boat (stern-wheeler, side-wheeler, or propeller), the tonnage, length, year of construction, and year and method of disposal.

Appendix B is a list of California Steamboat Builders, as complete as the author was able to make it.

Appendix C is a Table of Distances, River Landings on the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Colorado Rivers.

Appendix D is a list of California Ferry Vessels, containing the same categories of information as Appendix A.

Appendix E lists Changes of Name, Ferry Vessels.

It is worth mentioning that the font is very easy on the eyes, and I did not notice a single typographical error in the entire work.… (más)