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Index to Steamboat Slough
Steamboat Slough is one of the
historical and original navigation routes used by
travelers between San Francisco and Sacramento when
California became a state. This website is
dedicated to preserving the history of the Steamboat
Slough of the California Delta Region.
Maps tell a story. So this
website chronicles the uses, people, ships and changes of
Steamboat Slough, one of the branches of the lower
Sacramento River. We suggest you start by visiting the
series of OLD MAPS pages to get
a sense of the colorful history of this beautiful waterway!
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 Over
the years we've been collecting old books on the Delta, and
historic maps of the whole Delta area. We've scanned those
maps, with a focus on Steamboat Slough around the area of Snug
Harbor. Steamboat Slough certainly has a colorful history,
particularly when it was one of the primary routes for steamers
or paddle wheelers taking passengers, dry goods and foods
between the gold mining hub or launch point of Sacramento to San
Francisco, and back. Hence there's lots of records of
shipwrecks from those truly wild west water days! |
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Steamboat Slough was originally referred to as the "Middle Fork"
of the Sacramento River, (click below) according to the map from
1852, and official surveys for the federal government by Mr.
Ringgold, chief surveyor at that time. In the 1852
map there is an area referred to as "Hog'sback Shoal" on the
Middle Fork, which is probably in close proximity to where Snug
Harbor is today. |
However,
very soon thereafter, maps began referring to the waterway as
Steamboat Slough. A noted author of the time, Mr.
Hutchings, in his 1862 book of California refers to it as
Steamboat Slough in his sketches.. The 1949 Guide book of
"California Place Names" says on page 320: "Steamboat
Slough {Yolo} When the Sacramento was first navigated
fewer obstructions to navigation were encountered in Steamboat
Slough than in old Sacramento River, as the other branch is
called. For many years the slough was therefore the
channel preferred by navigators...." You can
read history of the Delta King and Delta Queen steamboats for a
sample of river travel back then.
Please enjoy the
many pages and links of this website all focused on the history
of the beautiful Steamboat Slough of the California Delta
region!
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Shipwrecks of the Sacramento River including Steamboat Slough, Cache and
Sutter Sloughs.
Above is a section of the 1852 survey of the
Sacramento River area. At this time, Steamboat Slough was referred
to as the "Middle Fork" of the Sacramento River. Since it was a
shorter travel route between Rio Vista and Sacramento, the waterway soon
was renamed "Steamboat Slough" for obvious reasons...all the ships using
the waterway!
Pictured below is a rendering of the fastest
of the paddle wheel steamships, as it glided along on Steamboat Slough
with moonlight guiding its route.
Hutchings view of Steamboat
Slough at the Sacramento River (Cache Slough area) in 1862
1862 sketch by Hutchings from the following book:
Http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/scenes_of_wonder_and_curiosity/
Or got to the following PDF's we made of the sections that talk about
travel and fishing on Steamboat Slough, Sacramento River and the San
Joaquin
hutchings_california_magizine_summary.pdf
Hutchings_1871_sacramento_river_steamboat_slough_san_joaquin_descriptions.pdf
Hutchings_1871_sacramento_river_steamboat_slough_san_joaquin_descriptions.pdf
hutchings_california_magizine_summary.pdf
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Steamboat
Slough in the Sacramento Delta Region
