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''Far West'' was a shallow draft stern wheel steamboat (or riverboat) plying the upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in the Dakota and Montana Territories, in the years from 1870 to 1883. By being involved in historic events in the Indian Wars of the western frontier, the ''Far West'' became an iconic symbol of the shallow draft steamboat plying the upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in the era before railroads dominated transport in these areas. The ''Far West'' was light, strong and speedy.〔 She was initially owned by the Coulson Packet Line who contracted with the Army in the 1870s to provide steamboats to support Army expeditions on the Yellowstone River in the Montana Territory. The ''Far West'' was used in this capacity, along with its sister riverboat the ''Josephine''. The ''Far West'' was often piloted by the famous river boat captain and pilot, Grant Marsh. The ''Far West'' was known as a fast boat because she had powerful engines, a hull with limited water resistance, and a low profile that reduced wind resistance. She set a number of speed records for both upstream and downstream travel on the Missouri and the Yellowstone. By virtue of her shallow draft and her ability to "grasshopper" over sand bars (using spars and steam capstans on the front of the boat to lift the boat and swing it forward a few feet at a time) she was famous for being able to get through shallow channels and low water conditions on the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers that turned back other steamboats. ''Far West'' gained a place in military and steamboat history during the Great Sioux War of 1876. The ''Far West'' was under contract to support a military column of infantry and cavalry units under General Alfred Terry, Colonel John Gibbon and Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The column was advancing up the Yellowstone, seeking a large Sioux and Cheyenne encampment which was moving along the river drainages to the south. The ''Far West'' brought supplies to the column, and it was used by Terry as a headquarters and also to ferry and move troops on the river. On June 21, the ''Far West'' was moored on the Yellowstone at the mouth of Rosebud Creek and was the site of the fateful meeting of officers after which Custer and the 7th Cavalry was dispatched south up the Rosebud seeking the Indian encampment. On June 25, 1876, the 7th Cavalry under Custer suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn . Five of the companies of the 7th were annihilated along with Custer, and the remaining companies suffering significant numbers of dead and wounded. ''Far West'' made her way from the Yellowstone up the Bighorn River to the mouth of the Little Bighorn where she was loaded with the wounded from the battle. Traveling night and day, she returned downriver to Bismarck, Dakota Territory, making the run in the record time of 54 hours and bringing the first news of the military defeat which came to be popularly known as the "Custer Massacre". After 1876 ''Far West'' was sold by the Coulson Packet Line. She continued to work on the Yellowstone and the Missouri Rivers for other owners until 1883 when she struck a snag and sank, near St. Charles, Missouri. ==Construction and specifications== The ''Far West'' was built in Pittsburgh in 1870 for the Coulson Packet Company. The ''Far West'' was feet long with a beam of and had three decks, a cupola like pilot house and two tall smoke stacks. She drew only of water unloaded and fully loaded with 200 tons of freight.〔 Between her first and second decks were two powerful high pressure steam engines built by Herbertson Engine Works of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, each with diameter pistons and a stroke. The engines were powered by steam from three boilers that consumed as many as 30 cords of wood a day.〔〔 The engines drove a single wide stern wheel. The ''Far West'' also had two steam capstans, one on each side of the bow, being the first boat built with more than one.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Far West (steamship)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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