Prior to the early 19th century, only Native American canoes and fur trader rowboats navigated the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers that converge at St. Paul. The Virginia was the first steamboat in 1823. By 1853, 235 riverboats moored at the Lower and Upper Landings in St. Paul. Since 2003, several tourist steamboats are docked across the river on Harriet Island at Padelford Landing. The most famous is the Jonathan Padelford. The 125 foot, 300 capacity sidewheeler was launched in 1969 by Captain William Bowell, founder of the Padelford Riverboat Company.
