195

VERSO
Label, Mongerson Gallery, Chicago, IL
Label, J. N. Bartfield Galleries, New York, NY
Label, Russeck Gallery, Palm Beach, FL

June 23, 1861: It had already earned an honored place in Montana and Missouri River history, but the steamboat “Chippewa” could have picked a better time to burn. At what became known as Disaster Rapids near the mouth of the Poplar River, deckhands with a lighted candle snuck into the hold where liquor was stored. When the resulting fire was discovered, “the pumps were all set at work, and the boat run ashore,” said an account the following month in the New York Times. “The passengers and crew were hurried off without having time to save anything lest the fire should reach the magazine, which contained 237 kegs of powder.” Unmanned, the steamer floated down the river two miles before it exploded, destroying the boat and cargo. A year earlier, the Chippewa became the first to reach Fort Benton, establishing the trading post as the highest port on the Missouri. It transported troops sent up from St. Louis to test the new Mullan Road to Fort Walla Walla. – The Missoulian

Condition ReportSurface condition is good. Bar mark across top. Faint bar mark along left side, up to upper-left corner. Several cracks in sky. No signs of inpainting.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.