Steamboat: Minnesota-General Allen-Cotton Blossom

General Allen/Minnesota

The General Allen was sold as surplus by the Rock Island District in 1943. Bought by Central Barge Co. and towed on the Tennessee River. Dismantled in 1944 and used as a landing boat at Joliet. In 1966 the remains were towed to St. Louis and became a restaurant boat called the River Queen. Sank in 1978, at St. Louis, with name of Cotton Blossom.

Cotton Blossom-River Queen

Thanks much Bill on the information I have requested. On top of the pilot house was a large gilded Eagle in flight. Would you know if that survived or if it was still there at the time it was a resturant at st Louis????. I had heard that the two top structures, (pilot house & Chart room), had been removed at a earlier time??. Any pictures that would be available when it was the River queen resturant?
Thanks

The domed pilothouse was long gone, but the other structure atop the boat was intact to the end. They added some fake stacks near it to make it appear a pseudo pilothouse. For a short time the boat served as a restaurant at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, named REBEL QUEEN. I don't know about the eagle, but the whistle survived and was blown and recorded aboard the Str. JULIA BELLE SWAIN at La Crosse, Wisconsin, several years ago. The whistle is now on display at The Riverside Museum (608-782-1980) in La Crosse. Perhaps they would also know about the whereabouts of the eagle. You might also contact the office of the JULIA BELLE SWAIN (www.juliabelle.com) for information.

An excellent source of pictures of the MINNESOTA / GENERAL ALLEN is the Murphy Library at La Crosse, where over 50,000 steamboat images are on file and where prints can be purchased. The website address is www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/ which will take you to the section where the special collections are listed.

I saw the boat at St. Louis numerous times, but was never aboard it. For a time she was moored between the Eads and Veterans Bridges, but had been moved further down the levee below the south leg of the Gateway Arch at the time of the sinking. I recall seeing the remains of the hull being scooped out of the river by a big crane on a barge during the early summer of 1978.

We had a visitor at the Howard Steamboat Museum several years ago who showed us some color photographs of an excellent model he has built of the MINNESOTA.

A book, entitled A Passion for the River; Mayo and the Mississippi by Matthew D. Dacy, was published in 2004. There are some fine pictures of the boat in this limited edition publication, which is often available on EBAY and through book dealers.

General Allen

Keith: WOW, thanks much for the information. My father, who went on the river around 1922 when he was 15 years old started & finished, (when he got married), on the General Allen. I think he perhaps got off around 1929, I have a lot of pictures he took at that time of the Allen & many other steam boats pertaining to the U.S. Corps of Engineers. That is the reason for my interest in the history of the boat & the Eagle. I will follow up on the whistle & whatever else comes along.
Thanks Again for your response.
Ronald Lietha

Ronald, you are most welcome! I think I have several photos of the boat at St. Louis and, if I can locate them, I'll scan and post those images for you.

General Allen

Kieth: That would indeed, be SUPER.
Ronald

This is supposed to follow Ronald's posting, don't know if it will.... did your father work with Capt. Walter Karnath on the ALLEN? He was the grandfather of Dick(Butch) Karnath, recently 'retired' pilot on the AMERICAN QUEEN. Walter Jr. was well-known to many of us as a pilot on the DELTA QUEEN after his retirement.

Capt of the General Allen

Judy; Could be, dont remember if my father ever mentioned that name. My father was on the boat from the 1922-1929 time period, so whoever was the captain at that time is who it was. I remember that my father started out as a fireman & deck hand & ended up piloting the boat, I imagine while the Captain was sleeping?. Remember he said that one night while he was piloting, I believe they ran aground of a sandbar in Lake Pepin??, no radar in those days!. Also remember him saying that he was way up on a ladder, (I have a picture of this), painting the stacks while the boat was underway when it hit a sandbar & he came down all the way to the top deck, apparently unhurt!!!, lucky man.
Ronald

It seems in the dark recesses of my mind that the eagle was in the possession of Walter Karnath. I was at his house once and believe I saw it. But that was a long time ago. Maybe this will get a response from a member of the Karnath family in order to deny or confirm what I've said.

Is there another Butch Karnath because I thought he was the son of Capt. Walter?

I'm with you, Lex, and thought "Butch" was his nickname, his real name being Richard. He also goes by "Dick".

Walters Sr. and Jr.....

Richard Dick Butch Karnath is the son of Walter Karnath, who is the son of Walter Karnath... in other words, our generation's Karnath had both a father and grandfather named Walter! Sorry I didn't make that less muddy in my posting. Here is a picture of Walter Jr. and Walter Sr., probably taken in the pilothouse of the ALLEN, where Sr. was Captain. Its hard to think of our Capt. Walter as a Junior, considering his age when we knew him.

General Allen Eagle

Great Board, what a wealth of information, more than my father knew, I am sure, even while employed on the boat!!. Yes, I hope someone posts as to the whereabouts of the Eagle, if it still exists. I think perhaps if the whistle exists, so does the Eagle?. Anyone know if the Eagle was made of metal or wood?. I have many pictures of the General Allen my father took & amoung them is a picture of the coal fired boiler room. One of the boats regular stops was Mcgregor, Iowa & that is where he met my mother & married there. Also have a picture of the Mayo Brothers "North Star" yacht, which replaced the Minnesota, going down the river, I am sure my father took the picture from the General Allen.

Thank you, Judy. I'm so dense I'm sure if Capt. Karnath were reading or hearing this, he would be after me with his cane about now!

Or he'd find another reason to swing that cane around menacingly! What a wonderful character. He was on watch the first time I was in the DQ pilothouse. He asked if I had any questions, and before I could ask any, he said: "Well I'll tell you some answers anyway." He and Rip Ware were responsible for my interest in the navigation end of things and were always so approachable, with even the dumbest question. Capt. Bill Foley was another great one who shared his wealth of knowledge with me over the years. These men, unlike some of their contemporaries, trained many a pilot and taught us non-licensed alike, without any concern that someone would take their job. They were happy to give... For those who may not be familiar with the MINNESOTA/ALLEN, here's a picture of her as the MINNESOTA.

Wonder of wonders! I dug into my filing cabinets last night and actually FOUND what I was looking for! Here are some old snapshots that show the MINNESOTA / GENERAL ALLEN in her last years as a restaurant boat. The first picture shows her as the REBEL QUEEN at Cape Girardeau in the late 1960's. The picture was taken by Capt. Jim Blum from the DELTA QUEEN. The second view was taken by yours truly in 1972 at St. Louis. View number three was taken at St. Louis by river historian/curator Ruth Ferris on July 4, 1974, which was the centennial celebration of the opening of the Eads Bridge.

And here's one of the boat named RIVER QUEEN, that I snapped on May 10, 1975 at St. Louis. The sign atop the pseudo pilothouse reads OPERA HOUSE and another sign on the roof advertises VAUDEVILLE. Get a load of that absolutely awful paddlewheel! Ronald, I have a 1937 full page newspaper picture of the GENERAL ALLEN (and some other things) I'd like to send you, but it is too large to scan. If you will e-mail me your mailing address, I will be happy to send it to you if you wish.

Pictures

Thanks again Keith, Super pictures, but sad, glad my father is not alive to see them!!!!!!!. Yes, you were right, the pilot house has certainly been removed. My e-mail location for you to send the picture is [email protected]
Thank You for all your & everyones help on this search.

Captain

Just posed this question to Mr Norrington via a private e-mail, but will post it here also. I faintly remember my father mentioning a Capt Bill Henning, is it possible he could have been the Capt on the General Allen at any time during the 1922-29-30 time period????
Thanks

General Allen Questions

Hi: I am back to researching more on the G.A. Went to the Dubuque riverfront Museum & viewed the "Eagle", & perhaps the G.A. Pilot house wheel?, does anyone have knowledge of that??. Also what about the "Bell" that was one the G.A., was it saved???. How did Capt Karnath come into possession of the "Eagle" & how did Captain Stanley B Knoll come into possession of the G.A. "Whistle", which now resides at the LaCrosse Riverfront Museum. I would assume at the time, (1943), of the sale of the G.A. by the U.S. Government, St Paul District that the boat was decommisioned at FtCity, Wisc boatyards & these items were removed at that time?????, fact or fiction & who can answer these questions??? Judy or anyone jump in please.
Thanks
Ronald

Backyard Bird

Captain Walt Karnath was quite proud of that eagle, that, at one time had been on display atop its original staff from the GENERAL ALLEN, in the backyard of the Karnath's home. A picture Cap'n K. gave me of the eagle standing astride a gilded globe and mounted atop the staff, or flag pole, slumbers somewhere in my great big collection of steamboat stuff. (Thank you JH)

Captain Karnath's father, Captain W., Sr. had been Master of the ALLEN, and the GA Eagle was passed from father to son, if I recollect correctly from the many tellings of the tale, but, its been a l-o-n-g time.

General Allen Eagle

Shipyard Sam: Thanks for some more information, where was the Karnath home located?, & is someone still alive that could tell me how the Eagle came into his possession. Was Capt Karnath originally from Ft City, Wisconsin??. I believe that Capt Bill Henning was the Capt on the G.A. while my father was a crew member. Father was aboard from 1922-29 or 30. When did Capt Henning go off & Capt Karnath come on as Capt??, anyone know this, also does anyone know the history of Capt Stanley B. Knoll, who donated the whistle off the G.A. to the LaCrosse Riverfront museum & of course thru Ralph Dupae?
Thanks

Just happened to see this thread, and will add the few things I know for any help it may be. Capt. Walter Karnath's dad was Rudolph "Red" Karnath. If you will contact me via e-mail, I can give you Butch Karnath's address and phone number in Winona. Perhaps he can supply some of the information you are looking for. The pilot wheel that is inside the pilot house replica at the Dubuque Museum came from the steamer AQUILA, I believe, and not from the GENERAL ALLEN. I will also check my files for a document that Butch gave me years ago detailing some of the history of the GENERAL ALLEN. If I find it, I can e-mail a copy to you. Good luck in your research!

General Allen Research

David: Thanks much, I can be reached at: [email protected]. Incidently I grew up 20 miles north of Winona on the Wisconsin side of the river, in a small river town named Buffalo City & just 9 miles north of the Fountain City U.S. Corps Of Engineers boatyard. I worked in Winona for many years & was just there last week!!!, small world. I am sure my father probably was hired aboard the General Allen in 1922 at the Ft City location??. I have started a extensive photo alblum photo history of the General Allen & hope to find out everything & anything pertaining to the boat & its remaining history, much I have already & thanks to my father, who took a lot of pictures of the boat while he was aboard as a crew member. How fortunate we are to be in this computer age where all this information can be made available from so many different people who one otherwise could never reach.