Riverboats were a common means of travel in the early 1900s; as used by these Mexia residents on their way to Mobile to serve on the grand jury. Left to right: Joe Dees, Jim Dailey, Calvin Lloyd, and Frank Lowery
Alabama's rivers have always been a major transportation artery for commerce and travelers. In the early days of Alabama, flat boats and canoes made the journey down rivers and creeks carrying news and supplies to far flung settlements and villages. Before the War Between the States, the advent of the steam powered river boat brought rapid transport to cotton and commerce. Stories of the ships created an allure of romance and adventure.
Sometimes the ships gave rise to legends even bigger than the ships themselves and sometimes even foreboding accounts of death and destruction followed in thei...
