The Sprague built at Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

 by Iowa Iron Works

Iowa Iron Works

The Iowa Iron Works, re-named the Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works in 1904, was a manufacturing company established in Dubuque, Iowa in 1883.-Notable Boats :The Sprague built in 1901, was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat...

in 1901 by Captain Peter Sprague for the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company, was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat

Towboat

Not to be confused with the historic boat type with the same name, also called horse-drawn boat.A towboat is a boat designed for pushing barges or car floats. Towboats are characterized by a square bow with steel knees for pushing and powerful engines...

. It was nicknamed Big Mama, and was capable of pushing 56 coal barges at once. In 1907, the Sprague set a world's all-time record for towing-60 barges of coal, weighing 67,307 tons, covering an area of 6-1/2 acres, and measuring 925 feet (281.9 m) by 312 feet (95.1 m).

She was decommissioned as a tug in 1948.

Legacy

After being decommissioned, the Sprague became a museum on the Vicksburg, Mississippi, waterfront. For many years the long-running melodrama Gold in the Hills was performed there.

The boat was wrecked and burned in Vicksburg on May 15, 1974, and pieces are still remaining in Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...

.

A model of the Sprague is in the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

-External links:...

 in Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

. The Friends of the Sprague organization sponsored a mural by Louisiana artist Robert Dafford

Robert Dafford

-Life and work:Robert Dafford is a current resident of Lafayette, Louisiana. Dafford has painted over 300 murals across the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, and England. He has been painting murals, signs and fine art paintings for 35 years...

 and his crew entitled The Big Mama of the Mississippi as one of the Vickburg Riverfront Murals. The painting was begun in November of 2006 by Dafford artist Herb Roe

Herb Roe

Herb Roe is a painter of large scale outdoor murals and classical realist oil paintings. After attending the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio for a short time, he apprenticed to mural artist Robert Dafford. After 15 years with Dafford Murals, he left to pursue his own art...

and finished in early 2007. It was dedicated on March 23, 2007.