WILLIAM D. BOWELL

William D. Bowell, Sr. was born (February 14, 1921) and raised in St. Paul. He served as a paratrooper in World War II with the 82nd Airborne Division and was awarded numerous medals. Following the war he graduated (1949) from Macalester College (St. Paul), was curator of graphic arts at the Minnesota Historical Society, acquired his riverboat license, and worked for many years in a variety of positions in business and industry.

In 1969 Bowell founded River Excursions, Inc. (renamed Padelford Packet Boat Co., Inc. in 1980) with the launching of the Jonathan Padelford, an authentic replica of an 1880 stern-wheeler. In the ensuing decades the company's riverboat fleet was expanded to include, at various times, the Josiah Snelling, Viking Explorer, Anson Northrup, Betsey Northrup, and Harriet Bishop. Prior to his retirement in 2001, Bowell oversaw the design and construction of the new Minnesota Centennial Showboat for the University of Minnesota, which the Padelford Packet Boat Co., Inc. subsequently operated for the University.

Bowell died in Minneapolis on April 19, 2011.

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Scrapbooks containing newspaper, magazine, and newsletter articles; press releases; printed promotional materials, including brochures, fliers, broadsides, postcards, invitations, tickets, and programs; business and legal papers, including stationery, correspondence, and contracts; photographs; and other materials documenting the history of the Padelford Packet Boat Co., Inc., which operated sightseeing excursions, school field trips, cruises, and private charters aboard paddle steamers on the Mississippi River and other waterways from Harriet Island (St. Paul) and Boom Island (Minneapolis) and participated in riverboat events like the Tall Stacks festivals (Cincinnati, Ohio).

The scrapbooks also provide biographical information on the company's founder, William D. Bowell, Sr.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Access Restrictions:

Original scrapbooks are closed to general use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. William D. Bowell, Padelford Packet Boat Co. Scrapbooks, Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples

Microfilm Production:

Microfilm (M639). Saint Paul, Minn. : Minnesota Historical Society, 2006.

Microfilm for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,111; 16,808

Processing Information:

Processed by: Deborah Kahn, March 2007; additions by David B. Peterson, October 2013

Catalog ID number: 006377422

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Access restricted. Closed to general use, researchers are directed to use the microfilm.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Paddle steamers -- Minnesota.

Paddle steamers -- Mississippi River.

Paddle steamers -- Ohio River.

Excursion boats -- Minnesota.

Excursion boats -- Mississippi River.

Festivals -- Ohio -- Cincinnati.

Organizations:

Anson Northrup (Riverboat).

Betsey Northrup (Riverboat).

Harriet Bishop (Riverboat).

Jonathan Padelford (Riverboat).

Josiah Snelling (Riverboat).

Padelford Packet Boat Co. (Saint Paul, Minn.) -- History.

River Excursions, Inc. (Stillwater, Minn.).

Tall Stacks Music, Arts and Heritage Festival.

Viking Explorer (Riverboat).

Places:

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (Minn.).

Document Types:

Photographs.

Microforms.

Occupations:

Ship captains -- Minnesota.

Ship captains -- Minnesota.

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