The Steamboat Pioneer, 1877

The Steamboat Pioneer, 1877. Historic Titusville. Not far from this spot lie the burned remains of the steamboat Pioneer, the first commercial passenger steamboat on the Indian River. The Pioneer was the flagship of Captain T.J. Lund’s Pioneer Steamboat Company, formed in the 1870’s to transport passengers along the St. Johns River., To serve Indian River settlers and tourists, Capt. Lund established a hotel near hear and moved the Pioneer to Titusville about 1875 while continuing to operate other vessels on the St. Johns., Fire broke out on the ship one night in April 1887 as she lay at anchor here. Despite the best efforts of Capt. Lund and those who tried to assist him, the blaze consumed the vessel to its waterline. It was later towed into Otter Creek. What remains of the vessel lies today a short distance inland, buried beneath fill., (sidebar) , “The Pioneer was one mass of fire… Captain Lund’s form stood out boldly, as standing on the very edge of the firey creature he poured water into her hold. By daylight, all was ended… a bent smokestack and part of a hull, resting on the bottom of the river.” , . Mrs. M.A. Bridge, an eye witness, (caption) , Wreck of Steamboat Pioneer in Otter Creek, reproduced from original map