Thursday, February 03, 2011

Historical marker: Abraham Lincoln and the Talisman

http://www.historyillinois.org/markers/old_markers/5.htm

County: Sangamon
Location: The marker is located at the rest area on I-55, northbound lanes, northeast of Springfield. It is just south of the bridge over the Sangamon River.

Prior to the coming of the railroads, Springfield was handicapped by inadequate transportation facilities. Early in 1832, Vincent A. Bogue, Springfield businessman and promoter, planned to supply the Sangamon River region with steamboat service. He chartered the Talisman, a 150-ton upper cabin steamer 136 feet long with a 48 foot beam, and obtained cargo in Cincinnati. On February 5 the journey began down the Ohio River, up the Mississippi to St. Louis, on to the Illinois, up to Beardstown, and via the Sangamon to the Springfield area. Springfield citizen's were enthusiastic and had raised funds to aid the project. At New Salem, Abraham Lincoln and others joined the axmen who were to clear the Sangamon of obstructions. The Talisman arrived at Beardstown March 9 and, after a 4-day delay due to ice, began the 100-mile trip up the Sangamon. When they arrived at Portland Landing, three fourths of a mile east of here, on March 24 crowds greeted them and continued the celebration in Springfield for several days. Rowan Herndon was hired as pilot and Lincoln as assistant pilot for the return trip to Beardstown. Since the Sangamon was falling rapidly, the steamboat had to be backed partway downstream and at New Salem a section of the dam was removed to float the boat across. When the boat reached Beardstown, Lincoln received $40 dollars for his services from March13 to April 6 and walked back to New Salem. The Talisman venture was financially unsuccessful and hopes for a river port near Springfield were eventually abandoned.

1 comment:

Rushd Lady said...

Hi! Found your article via google. My friend, Gary, of the Logan County, IL Historical Society told me research steamboat history on the Sangamon in conjunction with Lincoln and the steamboat Talisman. Did they not think of dredging the Sangamon River as others did other rivers? I'm researching my 3rd great-grandparents, Martin & Kiturah White. They left Means, KY in 1829 for Illinois, settling in the future Mosquito Twp, in Christian County, IL. Martin was Logan County's very first representative in the Illinois State Legislature and served with Lincoln (1840). In 1855, they left for the Kansas Territories. After finding several reports of his supposed death and oops! he showed up alive somewhere else, I wondered how he may have traveled so thought about tracing the rivers from where he lived in Kentucky to his homes elsewhere. Except for the low water Sangamon River, he could have traveled by water to any of his home locations.