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Contents 



Introduction 15 



Qj» Early River Days 23 



i Beginnings of the Rafting Industry .... 33 



Beef Slough 47 



Mv First Year Rafting, 1878 55 



The Great River THEN (1878) and now (1928) . . 77 



The Noted Raft-boat "Silver Wave" .... 95 



The LeClaire Navigation Company .... 121 



Pleasant Rafting with the good 'Ten Broeck" . 135 



The Green Tree Hotel 149 



What became of the Raft-boats 171 



The First Use of a Steamboat to push and handle a 



Raft 191 



The First Boat built to tow Rafts .... 195 



The Largest Rafts 203 



One Freak and a Pair of Twins 209 



^ Some of the Men Prominent in the Rafting Indus- 



d TRY, 1840-1915 211 



:* Sawmills and their Owners 255 



Complete List of Raft Pilots, 1840-1913 . . . 265 

 o 

 r" Rapids Pilots who handled Rafts over the Upper, 



y OR Rock Island Rapids, in the order of their ser- 



r- VICE FROM 184O-1915 275 



Jj Rapids Pilots who ran Rafts over the Lower, or Des 



5 Moines, Rapids 277 



^ Chief Engineers of the Rafters 279 



3 Raft-boat Mates 287 

 Output of Logs from different Streams into the 

 •c^ Mississippi, compiled from records in the office of 



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