Idaho (sidewheeler)

Idaho
History
NameIdaho
OwnerJohn Ruckel and later Oregon Steam Navigation Company
Port of registryUS 12298[1]
Routeupper Columbia River, Puget Sound
BuilderJohn J. Holland[2]
LaunchedC
Out of service1894
FateAbandoned
General characteristics
Typeinland shallow-draft passenger/freight carrier, wooden hull and works
Tonnage278 gross; 179 registered[1]
Length150.8 ft (46 m); after 1869 rebuild: 147.4 ft (45 m)[1][3]
Beam25.5 ft (8 m);after 1869 rebuild: 25 ft (8 m)[1]
Depth6.9 ft (2 m) depth of hold; after 1869 rebuild: 6.4 ft (2 m)[1]
Installed powertwo steam engines, 16" bore by 80" stroke, horizontally mounted[1][2]
Propulsionsidewheels
Speed12 knots[4]

The sidewheeler Idaho was a steamboat that ran on the Columbia River and Puget Sound from 1860 to 1898. There is some confusion as to the origins of the name; many historians have proposed it is the inspiration for the name of the State of Idaho. Considerable doubt has been cast on this due to the fact that it is unclear if the boat was named before or after the idea of 'Idaho' as a territory name was proposed. John Ruckel also allegedly stated he had named the boat after a Native American term meaning 'Gem of the Mountains' he got from a mining friend from what is now Colorado territory.[5] This steamer should not be confused with the many other vessels of the same name, including the sternwheeler Idaho built in 1903 for service on Lake Coeur d'Alene[6] and the steamship Idaho of the Pacific Coast Steamship Line which sank near Port Townsend, Washington.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Affleck, Edward L., A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon and Alaska, at 16, Alexander Nicolls Press, Vancouver, BC 2000 ISBN 0-920034-08-X
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference McCurdy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ There may be conflict in the sources on this point. Carey, Sound of Steamers, at 77, gives 150 feet as the size of the steamer following an 1881 reconstruction, and this may be more accurate since Carey cites an 1882 source.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SoundSteamers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Rees, John E. "Idaho Chronology, Nomenclature, Bibliography". W. B. Conkey Company, Chicago, 1868. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  6. ^ Hult, Ruby El, Steamboats in the Timber, at 144-45, Binfords and Mort, Portland, OR (2nd Ed. 1968)
  7. ^ Newell, Gordon R., Coastal Liners, at 183, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1959