Number of Boats in 1854 Trip Now Clear; 5 Made the Entire Journey in the Original Grand Excursion, but There Were 2 Others

Summary

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It could well be said that the city of Dubuque ought to be considered the seed and seedbed of the celebration known as Grand Excursion 2004. After all, it was Dubuque's very own William J. Petersen (1901-89) who provided the stage direction and outline for it.

He did that by the writing of his dissertation in 1927. That dissertation launched him into a lifelong career as historian and spokesman of a steam-driven past that he wanted everyone to know about.

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Extract

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Number of Boats in 1854 Trip Now Clear; 5 Made the Entire Journey in the Original Grand Excursion, but There Were 2 Others

In 1937 "Steamboat Bill" Petersen, as he was known among rivermen for more than 60 years, expanded that dissertation to book length and titled it "Steamboating on the Upper Mississippi." On Feb. 2, 1989, Petersen died in Dubuq...

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