PASSING OF AN INTERESTING CHARACTER OF George Boardman

Came to Iowa in Early '50s and Made a Lot of Money at Boat Landing Near McGregor

In the death of "old George Boardman" at his home in the Mississippi hills north of McGregor there passes from this vicinity the last and one of the most picturesque characters of old steamboat days. He left property valued a,t $20,000. With less of generosity in his nature it might easily have been many times that amount for in the '60's and '70's there was no busier steamboat point on the river than "Boardman's Landing."

As a boy of 18 Mr. Boardman came up the Mississippi in the '50s and landed in the woods above Yellow River, half way between Dubuque and LaCrosse. A few months before he had been living in Liverpool, England. His new home was in the wilderness. On the river bank was one cabin occupied by a Mr. Johnson and his squaw wife. A few settlers were living back in the hills making. a precarious living selling wood to the steamboats.

The Winnebago Indians were camped nearby. Mr, Boardman built a cabin, purchased a small stock of goods and opened a store. The steamers landed to "wood up" and business rapidly developed at Boardman's Landing. "Hoop poles," young saplings cut and trimmed about six feet long, were in great demand those days at the river towns for flour and pork barrels. Mr. Boardman bought them In large quantities from the settlers and sold them to the steamers.

The boats also tied up to procure pork, butter, eggs and other produce at the store. The Indians brought their furs and sold them to Mr. Boardman. A post office was established in the store and for 15 years Boardman's post and boat store was one of the best money making propositions on the river. But with the free spirit of the times and the natural open-handedness of the proprietor much of the earnings went as fast as they came. Money was loaned to nearly every one who asked for it and goods were sold to the settlers year after year on credit. A legacy Mr. Boardman leaves to his children is a thick ledger with Its yellow pages full of uncollected debts and loans.

When the Milwaukee put through the river division, Mr. Boardman filed contract for 500,000 ties at 50 cents apiece. The right of way passed directly through his store and he was given $1,500 to move it. The company put in a sidetrack up to the store and for a brief time with both steamboats and railroad, business was better than ever. But the decline followed soon and business dwindled. The store was finally closed and Boardman's Landing, or Johnsonport as Mr. Boardman named it after the first resident, became nothing but a memory.

The last years of his life Mr. Boardman farmed and sold timber from a large tract of land which he owned near the river.