MEN PROMINENT IN THE RAFTING INDUSTRY 229 

 COLONEL E. W. DURANT 



Edward Durantwas prominently connected with the 

 rafting business almost from the beginning. 



He was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, April 8, 

 1829. The family moved first to Cincinnati and then to 

 Sterling, Illinois, and in 1843 to Albany, Illinois. 



When about eighteen. Captain Stephen Hanks took 

 young Durant with him as cook and clerk on floating 

 rafts. He soon dropped the cooking part and gave 

 serious attention to learning the river, made rapid 

 progress and very soon began piloting rafts himself. 



About 1867 he formed a partnership with another 

 young pilot called Jack Hanford and they took con- 

 tracts to run logs and lumber with Stillwater, Minne- 

 sota, as their home port. Always progressive, they early 

 began using boats to shove and handle their rafts. In 

 1869, they had the side-wheelers "Julia Hadley" and 

 "Viola." Durant also took up the selling of logs and 

 lumber and no one could beat him at this. 



Jack Hanford was killed by getting caught in the 

 geared machinery of the "Julia Hadley." Then R. J. 

 Wheeler entered the firm with the fine towboat "Louis- 

 ville" and they bought the "Robert Semple," another 

 Ohio river towboat. Then in 1877, Captain A. T. Jenks 

 entered with the "Bro. Jonathan" and the style of the 

 firm was changed to Durant Wheeler and Company. 



The firm had a successful career and extended its 

 business until in 1880 it had a boat yard where it built 

 several fine raft-boats, including the "R. J. Wheeler," 

 "Netta Durant," "Daisy," "Pauline," and "Dispatch." 



It also had a big interest in South Stillwater Lumber 

 Company, the Lumbermans National Bank and owned 

 the fine new Opera House. 



Captain Durant had excellent ideas about building 



