Steamboat "New Orleans"
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The first steamboat built west of the Alleghenies, the "New Orleans" was launched Oct. 15, 1811, near this site at Suke's Run. Pittsburgh became a center for steamboat construction & a gateway for 19th-century westward expansion.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On October 15, 1811, the side-wheeler New Orleans slid into the Monongahela near Suke's Run — the first steamboat ever built west of the Alleghenies. Its launch proved that steam power could conquer the powerful currents of the Ohio and Mississippi, and Pittsburgh, already rich in iron and timber, quickly became a bustling yard for building the boats that carried a nation west.
Why it matters
The New Orleans opened the western rivers to steam navigation, turning Pittsburgh into a gateway of 19th-century westward expansion and remaking the economy of the American interior.
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Related events
- · Launch of the steamboat New Orleans, 1811
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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