ABSTRACT: The Golden Eagle River Museum Collection consists of records, photographs and memorabilia related to the Golden Eagle River Museum, which operated out of Bee Tree Park in St. Louis County, Missouri, as well as the Golden Eagle River Club, a social club geared around the group’s love of the inland rivers of the United States. In addition to the records related to the club and the museum, the collection also contains photographs, records, and artifacts related to the inland rivers transportation system of the United States, and the boats and people that worked them.
SCOPE: The Golden Eagle River Museum contains documents, photographs, film, memorabilia, publications and artifacts related to the Golden Eagle River Museum and the inland waterways of the United States.
The records and publications of the Golden Eagle River Museum consist of operational records, such as inventories, ledgers and programming; publicity information and historical notes and clippings regarding the Museum; and legal information such as bylaws, incorporation materials, and leases. Publications in the collection consist of the Golden Eagle River Museum’s publications: All Aboard in the 1940s and 1950s, and the Paddlewheel from the 1970s – 2000s. The publications housed in the collection are not a complete run.
The photographs in the collection contain photos of the Golden Eagle Museum and associated personalities, as well as events and programming put on by the Museum or the Club. There are also photographs representing hundreds of inland river vessels from steamboats to motor vessels, and photographs of persons and places important to the inland rivers, such as captains, deckhands, river towns and companies.
Many of the river-related records are clippings related to specific vessels, people or places on the inland rivers, but the records also contain bills of lading, correspondence, log books, menus, post cards, drawings, plans, biographies, holiday cards and certificates.
The Music of the Golden Eagle Collection consists of albums related to the inland rivers.
Ledgers and Scrapbooks in the Golden Eagle Collection include vessel logs, company ledgers, clippings collections, and photographic collections related Golden Eagle member trips.
The Media of the collection consist almost entirely of 8mm reels of film of trips taken by Club and Museum members, and film footage of the inland rivers.
Objects housed in the collection are related to the Golden Eagle River Museum; printer cuts, paperweights and the like.
EXTENT: 16 linear feet.
ACCESS: This is collection P-025. 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.
A finding aid is available for download below.
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."
Finding Aid: P-025 GERM Collection.pdf
P-025 GERM Collection Finding Aid webpage
This collection includes log books of several ships. Documents from this collection include:
Coal Book (pdf image file)
Str Dubuque (pdf image file)
Str Golden Eagle (pdf image file)
Golden Eagle Log Book (pdf image file)
Eagle Packet Co. (pdf image file)
Eagle Boat Store (pdf image file)
Columbus Folies
Columbus Folies Addendum (pdf image file)
Str Betsy Ann (pdf image file)
