Captain Meriwether Lewis
This is a model of a Corps of Engineers Steam dredge that was built in 1931 by Marietta Marine Works in Point Pleasant, Virginia. The Corps maintained a number of these type boats to channel the Missouri River for commercial navigation. The original boat was 285 feet long and could dredge to a depth of 20 feet at a speed
of 150 to 200 feet per hour. In a 24 hour period it could move up to 185,000 cubic yards of sand. 
Meriwether Lewis
The model was built to be raffled off as a fund raiser by the U.F.A. Inc., a non-profit historical preservation and education organization, and the Brownville Historical Society, of Brownville, Nebraska, which maintains the boat as a museum in Brownville. It is 30 inches long and 11 1/2 inches wide, and made entirely by hand, from scratch. It took approx. 200 hours to build. 18 feet of 1/16 inch square basswood was used to build the railings. A glass display case was also built to protect the model.
The model was won by Mr. Jim Bowers, of Bellevue, Nebraska, in a drawing held, September 26 at the Brownville Autum Flea Market.

Meriwether Lewis


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