The Steamer Fontenelle slowed and drifted towards the shore at Kansas City. Smoothly, the paddle wheel was switched into reverse and thrashed rhythmically against the Missouri River current until the boat was at the landing and secure. Watching all this was a reporter from the Kansas City Times. The Fontenelle had churned upriver in the spring of 1872 past Kansas City on her way to Fort Benton and the mountains. Now three months later, the reporter noted her down-river freight: “Mis
True West September/October 2024