SCOPE: This collection is comprised of eight Daily log books of the Mid-Valley Towing Company, as retained by Gerald V. Flynn, President of Mid-Valley Towing Co. from 1963-1978. Mid-Valley Towing Co. owned and operated towboats towing barges in inland rivers.
EXTENT: Two volumes of the 1964 daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp). One volume beginning Sunday, June 28, 1964 through Saturday January 2, 1964. The other volume beginning Monday, September 28, 1964 through Monday, October 5, 1964.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp) beginning Friday, January 1, 1965 through Friday December 31, 1965.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp) beginning Saturday, January 1, 1966 through Saturday, December 31, 1966. Photographs included.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp) beginning Sunday, January 1, 1967 through Sunday, December 31, 1967.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp) beginning Monday, January 20, 1969 through Tuesday, November 25, 1969.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V Ozark (1800hp) beginning Tuesday, September 1, 1970 through Tuesday December 1, 1970.
One volume of daily logs of the M/V George T. Horton beginning Friday, April 26, 1968 through Tuesday, December 31, 1968.
HISTORY: This collection was donated by the Gerald V. Flynn Trust. Gerald V. Flynn was the president of Mid-Valley Towing Company between 1963 and 1978. Mid-Valley Towing Company owned and operated towboats towing barges on inland rivers. You can view his obituary here courtesy of Pitman Funeral Home. The Alton Evening Telegraph reported the M/V Ozark was beached in the Illinois River near Pearl on January 7, 1970. According to the February 09, 1970 article, “the crew of 10 escaped unhurt” while the “loosened barges miraculously threaded through the narrow channel of the G.M & O railroad bridge about two miles away.” The article further reports that the crew was guarding the ship while plans were made to refloat the M/V Ozark.
The M/V George T. Horton was built November 1945 at Calumet Shipyard & Drydock Co., Chicago IL.
ACCESS: This is collection P-076. This collection is available for on-site use only in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. PLEASE NOTE: To access this collection, please contact the Pott Library Curator.
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 Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.”
