Dennis Lyall (American, B. 1946) "Rebecca Everingham Riverboat" Signed lower right. Oil on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 32c Rebecca Everingham stamp issued August 22, 1996. Before railroads and automobiles, America's rivers served as the nation's "highways." Twenty years after Robert Fulton's first steamboat run on the Hudson River in 1807, more than 200 steamboats were in use, hauling freight and passengers. In another 30 years, nearly one out of every two vessels on any major river in America was a steamboat. Steamboating was a lucrative industry in the United States for almost 150 years. Steamboat designs varied, and included side-wheel and stern-wheel paddlers, as well as powerful and majestic passenger vessels and heavily loaded cargo boats. Rivalries between steamboat pilots led to races that often had disastrous results. In the first 40 years of steamboats it was estimated that 500 vessels were lost, taking with them nearly 4,000 lives. Many of these boats were sunk taking unnecessary risks while racing, but some became grounded or hit a snag that punctured their hull and submerged the vessel. Because of the many dangers and accidents, the average life-span of a steamboat was only four to five years. The advent of efficient automobiles and transcontinental railroads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to the decline of the steamboat era. By the 1950s, the vessels had become relics of the past. The Rebecca Everingham was in service from 1880 until 1884. Image Size: 14.5 x 12.5 in. Overall Size: 16.75 x 14.5 in. Unframed. (B15483)