FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-142 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 17, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we travel the Hudson River.

FULTON’S FOLLY

The first steamboat began to operate on this date in 1807.  The North River Steamboat travelled on the Hudson River, running between New York City and Albany at a top speed of 5 mph.

The first trip took 2 days – 32 hours of travel time and a 20-hour stop at investor Robert Livingston’s estate along the way.  The return trip only made a 1-hour stop, but still took 30 hours.

Scheduled service began in September, with departure from New York City on Sunday evenings and the return from Albany on Wednesday mornings.

Robert Fulton, who is credited with the invention of the steamboat, changed the route of trade and transportation when he built a steamboat that could travel from Pittsburg down the Ohio and into the Mississippi, ending in New Orleans.

Most steamboats are things of the past, but a few are in service as museums and tourist attractions.  Two are close by – the Beltera Casino in Indiana and the over 100-year-old Belle of Louisville in Kentucky.

Johnson’s colorful map of New York State from 1866 is presented here.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.