SCOPE: Includes clippings from The Waterways Journal and other publications; reports from government agencies and corporations; and reports and commentary on issues of importance to the waterways community.
The Waterways Journal research collection materials are arranged into 16 series:General; Biographies; Boat Information; River Columns; Lock and Dam 26; Periodicals; Ports and Terminals; Railroads; Scrapbooks; St. Louis; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission; User Charges; U.S. Government documents; Photographs; and Oversized Materials.
The library has microfilm copies of The Waterways Journal periodical from 1891 to the present. Also available are bound volumes of The Waterways Journal from 1924 until the present, with the exception of five missing volumes that contain issues from 1925-1926, 1927-1928, 1935-1936 and 1943-1944.
EXTENT: 219 linear feet of papers, pamphlets, booklets, maps, photographs, newspaper clippings, government documents, environmental impact statements and scrapbooks which were the editorial research files of the publishers, editors, and writers. Bound and microfilm copies of the published issues.
HISTORY: Existing since 1887, The Waterways Journal is America's oldest continuously published inland waterways trade magazine. Current issues reflect today's barge and towing industry. Tracing the history and development of river transportation, it has long been known as "The Riverman's Bible."
The Waterways Journal collections include editorial research files dating from the 1890s, and cover a broad array of waterway topics such as national water use and transportation policy, competition with other forms of transportation, port development, and environmental concerns. Government agencies, establishing policy and regulating waterways; and private organizations, lobbying on behalf of waterway development, influence the course of the rivers. Their interaction and influence are well documented.
The indexing of this collection was made possible through contributions from the Waterways Journal, the J. Mack Gamble Fund, and the National Waterways Foundation.
ACCESS: This is Special Collection P-001. This collection is available for on-site use only in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the collection may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, depending on condition. Researchers are advised to call ahead concerning changes in hours due to University intersessions and holidays. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building. More information about conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is "From the Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.”
A Guide to the Research Collection of the Waterways Journal.
An on-line index to articles from The Waterways Journal is available for the years 1891- 1916, 1951-53, and 1980. Some years are currently being indexed and will be made available as they are processed.
Link to the index with more information about obtaining isues and articles.
Search On-line:
Database of the Editorial Research Files of The Waterways Journal Research Files
Search the index for articles in The Waterways Journal Articles. The years 1891-1916 have been indexed. The years 1950-1952 are currently being indexed.
Alphabetical cross-listing of subjects indexed in The Waterways Journal Subject List
Capt. Donald T. Wright The Waterways Journal Editor and Publisher, 1921-1965
Capt. Donald T. Wright and Sam Smith
Capt. Donald T. Wright Correspondence
(From the Capt. Donald T. Wright Collection, P-26)
