Steamboats and Docks

Steamboats and Docks. . Steamboats were a common sight in this part of the Susquehanna in the 19th century. The first one to ply the Owego section in the spring of 1826 for several weeks was the "Cadorus,” built in 1825 at York Haven, Pennsylvania., That seems to have been the impetus for no less than seven very large steamboats which were constructed right here on the riverbanks on Front Street. Their names and dates of operation are as follows: , 1835: “The Susquehanna" · 1857: "The Picnic” · 1876: "The Lyman Truman" · 1839: "The Lillie" · 1874: "The Owego" · 1884: “The Marshland” and “Glen Mary”, These flat-bottomed boats could carry from 200-700 people. Most of them traveled from the village up to Hiawatha Island, (just east of today's Hickories Park) and when the water was deep enough, went all the way into Binghamton. Many of them had bands on board and food concessions. Starting in 1874, Hiawatha Island (then called Big Island), three miles east of the village, was a summer resort. People clamored for rides on the boats to the island. Visitors came from all over the United States, and even foreign countries. Besides the large steamboats, smaller ones were built. There were also ferries used to tote people, wagons and at the turn of the century, cars., There were three main docks on Front Street, at the ends of Ross, Paige and Church Streets. There were also a number of dams built over the years to enable the steamboats to operate. The last dam was built just below the bridge. It did its job well until a group of vandals, who had too much to drink, decided it would be a lark to destroy it. They waded into the river armed with their axes and saws, and with a lot of effort, the dam swooshed like Niagara Falls over the top of them. A reporter noted in the newspaper that not only was the dam broken, but some swimming titles were broken that night as well!, For additional information, go to: www.villageofowego.com or www.visittioga.com