Fulton, Robert, 1765-1815 to Henry Dearborn
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03624 Author/Creator: Fulton, Robert, 1765-1815 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 January 1807 Pagination: 1 p. ; 25.3 x 20.1 cm. Order a Copy
Asks Secretary of War Dearborn to "give the necessary orders for measuring the velocity of the waters of the Mississippi" by tracking the speed with which a wooden board tied to a line is carried away. He adds, "I hope this work will promote the interest of the country."
Fulton, newly returned to the United States after twenty years in Europe, shared in the nation's enthusiasm for developing the vast territory recently acquired through the Louisiana Purchase (negotiated by his business partner Robert Livingston). Fulton was aware that steam-powered vessels on the Mississippi and its tributaries could be the key to opening up the West. However, he had difficulty persuading Livingston, who was oriented towards the Hudson River. Seven months later, Fulton launched his steamboat "Clermont" on the Hudson. Although it would not be until 1812 that a Fulton-designed steamboat would ply the waters between New Orleans and Natchez, eventually steamboat traffic on the Mississippi and its tributaries would transform the nation.
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