Existing comment:
Hopes were high in the spring of 1832 that a small steamboat, the Talisman, would successfully reach Springfield by the Sangamon River. Several men, including Lincoln, helped clear the river of snags and overhanging limbs as the boat made its triumphant way upstream past New Salem to Springfield. Rapidly receding water,s however, forced a hasty return trip. The Talisman barely cleared bottom, and part of the New Salem milldam had to be removed to let the vessel pass. The ill-fated voyage shifted attention from the river to improved roads as the transportation link for Sangamon County. |