Originally from: Letters from Linden
Date: September 2011
“A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY AND A NOBLE RIVER”
A Steamboat Journey on the Patuxent, 1879
— THE PATUXENT, — at this point, about forty miles from its mouth, is much narrower than it is a few miles lower down. From this point to Hill’s Bridge there is a marsh as flat and green as a billiard table, over a mile wide, through which the narrow and deep river winds about from one side to the other, as crooked as a cork screw. The water is deep close to the shore, and in places one can stand on the deck of the steamer and toss a biscuit to either bank. These marshes abound in wild ducks. Sportsmen from New York and other cities are attracted here and sometimes come in yachts. The marshes overflow and the sportsmen engage a man with a light skiff to push through the high marsh grass. He must have a ‘retriever,’ as it is almost impossible to secure the game without one.
Going — UP THE RIVER — from Marlboro’ there are landings every few miles. The first is White’s Landing, in Prince George’s county, the birth place of the first Bishop ever consecrated in America, Thomas John Claggett. Calvert is a local option county, and in consequence the boat landed one or more demijohns at every landing and took off empty ones. Kegs of whiskey are said to be sent down to storekeepers enclosed in tierces [casks] of bacon.
After seeing the beautiful country and the fine crops, one would be puzzled to explain — WHY THE PEOPLE ARE POOR? — A glance at the articles landed on the wharves explains it. At every landing I saw bags of bacon, barrels of flour, barrels of corn meal, and have even seen potatoes and hay carried ashore from the steamer. The people buy everything that they ought to raise, and as a consequence must remain poor. If Washington county farmers had to buy their meat and bread and vegetables out of the profits of their wheat crop the new alms house would have to be built larger.
As we continue to steam up the river it becomes narrower, and the country, especially on the Prince George’s side, is richer. . . . At 10 o’clock, A. M., we have reached Bristol, [Anne Arundel] county, the end of the route. Here the river is very little wider than the length of the Steamer, and I puzzle myself wondering how the Captain is going to turn the steamer around to get back, but the operation is simple enough. The bow is run up to the bank and the tide which is setting strongly up stream carries the stern completely around.
The cargo has now been all landed and the work of loading for — THE RETURN TRIP — commences. Each wharf has its quota of tobacco and peaches, which with the empty demijohns and a little grain constitute almost the only articles of freight. As many as sixty or seventy hogsheads of tobacco, each weighing or ought to weigh, about a thousand pounds, would be on a single wharf, and from one wharf we took Letters from Linden 6 September 2011 five hundred boxes of peaches. It is hard work for the steamboat hands to handle all this freight, and the idle darkies on the wharves are frequently hired to help them.
As we steam rapidly — DOWN THE RIVER, — soon after passing Lower Marlboro’, the marsh through which the upper part of the stream winds disappears, and it suddenly widens out to one of the most majestic and beautiful streams I have ever seen. In places it is over two miles in width.
At Benedict we are in Charles co., but in a few minutes we reach St. Mary’s, and then have that county to our right and Calvert on the left, until we reach the bay. The shore of the latter is much more fertile and interesting. The land slopes down to the river bank in a gentle declivity, from a considerable elevation about a mile back.
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