Each year I make a prilgrimage to the resting place of one of Vicksburg's most historical assets which is rusting along Washington Street right past downtown Vicksburg. It is the remains of the Sprague steamboat, a majestic lady who is an icon of our city's history. But for another year, the pieces salvaged from when she burned several decades ago have succumbed to another year of rust. And once again I am making an appeal to anyone who will listen that we need to save the Sprague. More specifically, I think we need to save the sternwheel, which is the first photo in this album and the smokestacks. I can just picture the sternwheel rebuilt and placed in a shallow pool near the Transportation Museum. A motor could turn the wheel and people could just stand there and watch that mighty piece of Vicksburg and Mississippi history. So please share this album with anyone whom you think can save the Sprague. Thieves, I understand, have already started stealing some of the Sprague to sell as scrap. I cannot stand, however, to see her just rust away. Who will help me?
