NORTHWESTERN UNION PACKET COMPANY

NORTHWESTERN UNION PACKET COMPANY. In May, 1866, a new company — the Northwestern Union Packet Company —bought all the property of the La Crosse & Minnesota Steam Packet Company and the Northwestern Packet Company. Its officers were William F. Davidson, St. Paul, president; John Lawler,Prairie du Chien, manager; George A. Blanchard, Dubuque, secretary; William Rhodes, St. Paul, treasurer; William E. WELLINGTON, Dubuque, and P. S. Davidson, La Crosse, superintendents. The headquarters of the company were established in Dubuque.

The new company started with thirty steamboats and seventy-three barges. The invested capital of the company was announced as one million five hundred thousand dollars. The shipping capacity was the moving of one million bushels of grain every five days. The barges alone had a capacity of three hundred and twenty-five thousand bushels. The company's side-wheel boats were Phil. Sheridan, Milwaukee, City of St. Paul, Itasca, Ocean Wave, Northern Belle, Key City, Keokuk, War Eagle and Favorite; and its stern-wheel steamers were Addie Johnston, Damsel, Annie Johnston, Diamond Jo, Jennie Baldwin, Julia, G. H. Wilson, Flora, Clara Hine, Hudson, Mankato, Chippewa Falls, Mollie Mohler, Stella Whipple, Ariel, G. H. Gray, Albany, Cutter, H. S. Allen and St. Cloud.

The Union company became known as the "White Collar Line." There was an intense rivalry between the Northern Line and the Northwestern Union Packet Company. In 1869 the two companies. Northern and Northwestern Union, divided the river trade in order to prevent loss by too sharp competition; both ran boats from St. Louis to St. Paul. In 1871 the White Collar Line (Northwestern Union Packet Company) and the Northern Line agreed on a schedule of prices for the up-river trade; cut rates and war were thus forestalled. This agreement only lasted one year.

Early in 1873 the White Collar and the Northern lines were merged into one company, Keokuk Northern Line, with a capital of seven hundred thousand dollars and with John A. McCune president and W. F. Davidson superintendent.

In addition to shipping goods from Dubuque, steamboat lines provided revenue to cities capable of repairing boats. In February 1874, the Dubuque Herald reminded readers that the Keokuk Northern annually spent no less than $15,000 on repairs in Dubuque and paid $2,000 in wharfage. (1)

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Source:

1. "The Northern Line," Dubuque Herald, February 17, 1874, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18740217&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Online: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-26-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml