Robert Steen (H)
(4:50) Mr. Steen discusses the advantages of the Tennessee River as a transportation system.Florence- Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive Interview with Robert Steen April 14, 2008 Florence, Alabama Conducted by Ken Johnson Clip 8 Ken Johnson: Are you associated with the river in any way today...
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library
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| Online Access: | https://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/oral_hist/id/244 |
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Electronic |
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Oral Histories Collection |
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
| topic |
Oral histories -- audios and transcripts |
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Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Robert Steen (H) Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
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Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Waterways |
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(4:50) Mr. Steen discusses the advantages of the Tennessee River as a transportation system.Florence- Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Robert Steen
April 14, 2008
Florence, Alabama
Conducted by Ken Johnson
Clip 8
Ken Johnson: Are you associated with the river in any way today?
Robert Steen: No, sir. I do not fish. I do not have a boat. I do not use it for any type of recreation. I’ve often wanted to go to Knoxville and, with a pontoon boat and come down the river. I don’t have a pontoon boat, so I don’t know that I will ever do that. I would also like to go down the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway canal. The waterway transportation system just is astonishing to me as to the capability that we have and we have through this part of the country to transport. I mean, we kind of take it for granted.
KJ: Sure.
RS: There’s a river down there, it’s got a canal, we hear the whistles blow ever so often, and it’s, it’s just there. But the numbers of tons that can be shipped by that river and it appears to me that sometimes we’re using it less than we, maybe, years ago. I can remember going down to the river and seeing barge loads of cars coming through. They’d unload them, I think, at Guntersville, as a point. And, I mean, hundreds of cars on one. They’d pick them up at Evansville, Indiana and bring them all the way, way down. But, I would like to go down the Tennessee Tombigbee; they claim that that’s a big pork barrel project, but, man alive, what a resource that we have that you can take and you can ship stuff from Knoxville, Tennessee, all the way down that river and you can get over to the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway canal, which you enter it somewhere along the Mississippi Alabama line.
KJ: Right.
RS: And then from there you can go down that all the way to Mobile. Or, you can continue and go on to Paducah, Kentucky and from there you can go up the Ohio River. Or, you can go down the Ohio River and get on the Mississippi River and you can go from there all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota or you can go to New Orleans.
KJ: Tremendous system.
RS: Why we don’t use more of what— use it more than we do.
KJ: One more question. Once you’re on the river, on the boat, and we’ll say going up the river or down the river. For all practical purposes you don’t have much knowledge nor contact with what’s on the shoreline; is that right?
RS: That’s correct. KJ: You don’t. You don’t have the time to get off and explore Paducah, Kentucky—
RS: Un- uh.
KJ: — or the other little places along the way. I know I took one tour one time on the river and that was the thing that amazed me. Somehow or other, I had expected to see all of these historic places along the river. Well, unless you happened to be at the place where the boat’s tied up for an hour or two you just don’t see anything—
RS: Right.
KJ: — much except more trees and more banks and such as that. It’s very interesting. Well, let’s draw this to a conclusion. Is there any final comment that you’d like to make for this session?
RS: Other than the fact, again, to reiterate what a tremendous asset we have here. And, and I would challenge people to study the river, look at what is there, and just to see that river coming out, we’re really a drainage for Tennessee, when you look at where the river comes from Knoxville with all the tribu—, tributaries and, I mean, I travel quite often going over the mountainous area from, from Chattanooga through going over to Ashville, North Carolina. There’s dams up through there owned by the TVA, smaller dams, and all that water is flowing into that Tennessee River. And up north of Knoxville, all that area and then when you see that it comes and it comes across Alabama and you look, we’re still a drainage for Tennessee, you, you start right here at Florence and you go out to Shoals Creek. Shoals Creek is— I was in Kno—, ah, in Lawrenceburg during the weekend and Shoals Creek is up there, it’s draining it. Then you go on out to Bluewater, this side of Elgin, that goes all the way up into Tennessee. On the other side of Elgin you got Second Creek, it’s a drainage from up there. Elk River is draining and so we’re really draining, but, it’s tremendous if you can just look at it.
KJ: Robert, I want to thank you for your, giving us your experiences today and that you’re willing to come and do this. When we think of some more questions, we may get back with you again.
RS: Well, it’s my, my pleasure.
KJ: Thank you so very much.
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| title |
Robert Steen (H) |
| titleStr |
Robert Steen (H) |
| author |
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
| author_facet |
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
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FLCPLoral_hist244 |
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https://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/oral_hist/id/244 |
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http://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/oral_hist/id/244 |
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1782468788776599552 |
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Robert Steen (H)Waterways(4:50) Mr. Steen discusses the advantages of the Tennessee River as a transportation system.Florence-Lauderdale Public LibraryFlorence-Lauderdale Public LibraryRobert Steen2008-04-14sound; textaudio/mp3; text/pdfEnglishPart of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library collectionContact the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library for permission to use.Florence- Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Robert Steen
April 14, 2008
Florence, Alabama
Conducted by Ken Johnson
Clip 8
Ken Johnson: Are you associated with the river in any way today?
Robert Steen: No, sir. I do not fish. I do not have a boat. I do not use it for any type of recreation. I’ve often wanted to go to Knoxville and, with a pontoon boat and come down the river. I don’t have a pontoon boat, so I don’t know that I will ever do that. I would also like to go down the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway canal. The waterway transportation system just is astonishing to me as to the capability that we have and we have through this part of the country to transport. I mean, we kind of take it for granted.
KJ: Sure.
RS: There’s a river down there, it’s got a canal, we hear the whistles blow ever so often, and it’s, it’s just there. But the numbers of tons that can be shipped by that river and it appears to me that sometimes we’re using it less than we, maybe, years ago. I can remember going down to the river and seeing barge loads of cars coming through. They’d unload them, I think, at Guntersville, as a point. And, I mean, hundreds of cars on one. They’d pick them up at Evansville, Indiana and bring them all the way, way down. But, I would like to go down the Tennessee Tombigbee; they claim that that’s a big pork barrel project, but, man alive, what a resource that we have that you can take and you can ship stuff from Knoxville, Tennessee, all the way down that river and you can get over to the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway canal, which you enter it somewhere along the Mississippi Alabama line.
KJ: Right.
RS: And then from there you can go down that all the way to Mobile. Or, you can continue and go on to Paducah, Kentucky and from there you can go up the Ohio River. Or, you can go down the Ohio River and get on the Mississippi River and you can go from there all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota or you can go to New Orleans.
KJ: Tremendous system.
RS: Why we don’t use more of what— use it more than we do.
KJ: One more question. Once you’re on the river, on the boat, and we’ll say going up the river or down the river. For all practical purposes you don’t have much knowledge nor contact with what’s on the shoreline; is that right?
RS: That’s correct. KJ: You don’t. You don’t have the time to get off and explore Paducah, Kentucky—
RS: Un- uh.
KJ: — or the other little places along the way. I know I took one tour one time on the river and that was the thing that amazed me. Somehow or other, I had expected to see all of these historic places along the river. Well, unless you happened to be at the place where the boat’s tied up for an hour or two you just don’t see anything—
RS: Right.
KJ: — much except more trees and more banks and such as that. It’s very interesting. Well, let’s draw this to a conclusion. Is there any final comment that you’d like to make for this session?
RS: Other than the fact, again, to reiterate what a tremendous asset we have here. And, and I would challenge people to study the river, look at what is there, and just to see that river coming out, we’re really a drainage for Tennessee, when you look at where the river comes from Knoxville with all the tribu—, tributaries and, I mean, I travel quite often going over the mountainous area from, from Chattanooga through going over to Ashville, North Carolina. There’s dams up through there owned by the TVA, smaller dams, and all that water is flowing into that Tennessee River. And up north of Knoxville, all that area and then when you see that it comes and it comes across Alabama and you look, we’re still a drainage for Tennessee, you, you start right here at Florence and you go out to Shoals Creek. Shoals Creek is— I was in Kno—, ah, in Lawrenceburg during the weekend and Shoals Creek is up there, it’s draining it. Then you go on out to Bluewater, this side of Elgin, that goes all the way up into Tennessee. On the other side of Elgin you got Second Creek, it’s a drainage from up there. Elk River is draining and so we’re really draining, but, it’s tremendous if you can just look at it.
KJ: Robert, I want to thank you for your, giving us your experiences today and that you’re willing to come and do this. When we think of some more questions, we may get back with you again.
RS: Well, it’s my, my pleasure.
KJ: Thank you so very much.
http://server15947.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/oral_hist,244 |