In 1930, modelmaker Frederic A. Craven was commissioned by the Museum to create a scale replica of a large steam-powered Mississippi River towboat. Modeled after the sister ships Monongahela and City of Pittsburg, the model represented the largest type of merchant steamer operating between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Two years later, a fire badly damaged the model, leaving only the stern wheel in relatively good condition. Despite the loss, the surviving wheel still demonstrates the impressive engineering behind shipbuilding and navigation of the period. Built at a scale of  ¼ inch to one inch, its intricate construction reflects the strength and power of the full-sized vessels that transported goods along America’s inland waterways and connected major cities.