Joseph La Barge

Background

Joseph La Barge was born in St. Louis, the son of Joseph Marie and Eulalie (Hortiz) La Barge.

Education

After some schooling in St. Louis he was sent, at the age of twelve, to St. Mary's College, in Perry County, but at fifteen was expelled.

Career

His mind was set on steamboating and fur trading, and in the fall of 1831 Joseph got a place as clerk on the American Fur Company's boat, the Yellowstone, which had just returned from the upper river and was proceeding to New Orleans. On its return the following spring he signed a three years' contract with the company.

Most of this period was spent as an Indian trader in the Omaha region. He was on the Yellowstone during its upward voyage of 1833, when a cholera epidemic caused its temporary abandonment by officers and crew, leaving him for a time in charge and giving him his first experience as a navigator.

On the completion of his contract he worked for a time as a trader for one of the Robidou brothers, and for the next four years served as a clerk, pilot, and master on different boats on the lower river. In 1841 he entered the fur trade in opposition to the company, but was soon forced out. In 1843, as pilot of the company's boat, Omega, he made the voyage that carried Audubon to the upper Missouri.

For the next twelve years, as pilot or master, sometimes of his own boat, at other times of a company boat, he continued in the perilous upper river traffic. In 1856 he parted with the company for good, and for the next few years was on the lower river.

In the winter of 1861-62 he organized the firm of La Barge, Harkness & Company, to engage in the Fort Benton trade, but after heavy losses the venture was abandoned. When he foresaw in the middle sixties the ultimate conquest of the steamboat by the railway, his judgment told him to retire; but his inclination prompted him to keep on, and he lost his entire fortune.

From 1880 to 1885 he was in government service as a pilot, and from 1890 to 1894 he held a municipal office in St. Louis. His last gainful work was done in 1896-97 for the Missouri River Commission, when he compiled a valuable list of all the steamboat wrecks on the Missouri River from the opening of the river to navigation down to 1897 ("Report of the Chief of Engineers, " 1897, pt. 6, pp. 3870-92, House Executive Document No. 2, 55 Cong. , 2 Sess. ).

He died suddenly at his home in St. Louis and after an imposing funeral in the Cathedral was buried in Calvary cemetery. He is described by his biographer as one of the most distinguished-looking men of the West in his time. He was five feet ten in height, well proportioned, erect and muscular, with sharp, alert eyes and a quiet energy in all his movements.

Achievements

• Joseph La Barge was the most widely known of the Missouri River boatmen. His working life spanned the whole era of commercial steamboating on the upper river: as a clerk he served in 1831 on the boat which in that year made the first voyage to Fort Tecumseh (later Fort Pierre), and as a master he made the last through voyage (1878) between St. Louis and the head of navigation at Fort Benton. He transported people and goods up and down the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. According to an 1898 newspaper article, Captain La Barge was the man who taught Mark Twain about the Mississippi River. His illustrious life is documented in the book, "History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River: Life and Adventures of Joseph La Barge" by Hiram M. Chittenden.

Personality

His manner was sociable, his voice pleasant, and he talked entertainingly. Though French was his mother tongue, he acquired a facile command of English. His ethical standards were high, and though he was often the victim of unscrupulous acts of others, he was known for his scrupulous integrity.

Connections

In 1842 La Barge was married to Pelagie Guerette.

Father:

Joseph Marie LaBarge

Mother:

Eulalie (Hortiz) LaBarge

Spouse:

Pelagie Guerette

Brother:

John LaBarge

References

• History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River, Vol. 2 of 2: Life and Adventures of Joseph La Barge, Pioneer Navigator and Indian Trader, ... of the Missouri Valley (Classic Reprint)
• History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River, Vol. 1 of 2: Life and Adventures of Joseph La Barge, Pioneer Navigator and Indian Trader, ... of the Missouri Valley (Classic Reprint)