"Probably the all-time queen of Columbia River steamboats was the T. J. Potter. Like many of her river sisters west of the Rockies, she was a mixture of eastern and Mississippi types. A sidewheeler, she resembled eastern boats in her pilot house; smokestack, and superstructure. But she had Mississippi-style horizontal high-pressure engines, inherited from a sternwheel predecessor, the Wide West. As first built, the T. J. Potter was renowned for her speed, which few others on the river ever approached, and for her paddleboxes, slashed in patterns as intricate as fine lace. This photograph shows her in later life, after remodeling in 1901, which reduced her speed and left her with less fancy paddleboxes. However, she remained the most popular boat on the Columbia right up to the end of her active life in 1916."

DONALD BATES

Card #24. Description on back. Measures approximately 5-3/4 x 3-1/2 inches.

Gently bumped corners and only slight edge wear. Shallow crease at lower right corner.