Above: ImageShack art of the steamboat Fevre Dream (unknown artist).
Above: Vintage postcard of the wreck of the steamer Quincy, 1911, at Trempealeau, Wisconsin.The postcard view above is one of many I have of the steamer Quincy. It is also one of a few I have that show it after it was wrecked. Another postcard I have of the wreck, with a different view on it, is postmarked Aug 1, just a few weeks after the boat sank on July 11, 1906.Apparently, the wreck remained in the river for a while.
On the front it reads.'
"Dear Hazel,
Your letter was forwarded up here to me. I've been here just a month and may be here till Sept. 1st. Never had such a time in my life. Will write particulars soon. This is the Quincy that hit a dam and sank. It's only 1/4 of a mile from camp. I'm crazy to get the pictures and I'll send you some of camp. We have two launches, two machines, and a house boat. I can swim like a fish. Lovingly. Blanche."
I got the idea for this post when reading and commenting on a recent post at the Valkyrie blog. I've been meaning to blog about steamboats for some time (a request by Ananda Girl). It brought to mind George R R. Martin's "vampires on riverboats" novel from 1982 called, entitled Fevre Dream. I think Fevre Dream might have the first example of a "vegetarian vampire". "Vegetarian vampires" are common in recent vampire books and movies. They are considered wimpy by many, and are vampires who have forsaken human blood in order to drink a "gentler' substitute: such as animal blood, or artificial concoctions such as "True Blood". The steamboat-era vampires in Fevre Dream concoct a forerunner to "True Blood" in order to wean vampires off of drinking from humans. At the top of this post, and to the right are renditions of the steamboat from the novel. The steamboat is named Fevre Dream. As it is a fictional steamboat, there are, unfortunately, no postcards of it. It has been a long time since I have read the book. I seem to remember that Fevre Dream, like the Quincy, ended up wrecked. Maybe it is time to re-read the book and find out.
28 comments:
It looks like fairy tale boat.
You Got a Posty
All Little Things I Like
That books sounds interesting. I also always enjoy seeing your postcards. I love that the women's names on that one are Hazel and Blanche...I mean, really? :-)
The first card does have a mystical look to it. Interesting story. Happy PFF
This is one of the most original postcard-related posts I've seen lately. I love the wove you in literature and history. Plus, I have to admit I've never heard of vegetarian vampires!
Evelyn in Montreal
Great card -and I love that Blanche can swim like a fish. She sounds like fun!
Lab: Thanks! I had to look up to see who you were.
Snap: I must point out that the first image is of art, and was never on a postcard. Not that I know of. But it would make a good one, I think.
Evelyn: Thanks, and thanks for your visit too. The specific "vegetarian vampires" thing is from the "Twilight" series. It's part of an ongoing evolution in which vampires become anything but monsters.
I agree with what Evelyn wrote about your post, but I knew about vegie vampires.
Guess where I lived with my family all middle and high school years? Steamboat. Nevada. Therefore, I really love the art and photo in this post.
Interesting history. Disaster postcards used to be popular.
I don't know anything about vampires except that they seem to be very popular recently.
Poatcardy: "I don't know anything about vampires except that they seem to be very popular recently."
Yup. And they aren't anywhere near as nasty, as, say, the old Christopher Lee "Dracula" from the 1960s. Unless they happen to be vampire villains there in the stories for the vampire good-guys to fight.
Very interesting postcard, art and history. Happy PFF!
love the photo postcard... sad the boat went down... OHHHH the first card I can see Vampires walking the decks! TFS
Louis from Interview with a Vampire is another example of a veggie vamp. Drinking rat blood on a steamboat was a must to avoid detection during the long voyage. Great post !
A post like none other, dmarks. Vegetarian vampires! What next/ Steamboat postcard and book art made a great combination.
My maternal grandmother and my paternal grandmother were both named Blanche so I really like your PFF postcard!
What a wonderful find--and the text on the back is really fun. One wishes one could have lived then...and you're right--must get that melting Mary off to ebay! (guffaw)
Lydia: Are there steamboats in Steamboat?
Postcardy: The vampire craze seems to be reaching a fever (fevre?) pitch. Sort of like dinosaurs did a little while back.
Lyneen: At least it didn't sink very far at all. So I doubt that there was any loss of life.
PJ: The ghostly looking book cover art is pretty close to what is on the old paperback edition of Fevre Dream that I have.
AnitaNH: I admit, it is not a common name in my hearing. I think I remember someone having it in a classic sitcom of the "All in the Family" era.
Beth: Glad you liked it!
Marie: You are right. I forgot about Louis and his attempts to be a kinder, gentler vampire.
Looking at Dracula (the granddaddy, but not the first, vampire novel), vampires were only interested in power and a supply of blood. Nothing more than that, really. Not in love (Edward Cullen/Stefan Salvatore), sex (Laurell Hamilton books), math (The Count), the grand adventure that is the life of the undead (Lestat from the Ann Rice books), fitting in (Fevre Dream vampires), or being upstanding members of the community (Bill from "True Blood"/Sookie Stackhouse)
And this European was late! :) How sad to see a lovely steamboat sinking like that. I must say I've never heard of veggie vampires - it sounds like a complete contradiction in terms.
This reminds me of Vincent the Vegetable Vampire...
"in the night time tomatos start to scream,"
Was that from Sesame Street or The Electric Company?
Cube: I've not heard of him before. It also brings to mind Bunnicula, from 1979, a "a vampire bunny that sucks the juice out of vegetables"
Not only a vegetarian vampire, but probably a vegan vampire as well.
as somebody who is addicted to True Blood - the show not the drink!!! - i really enjoyed this post. that postcard of the sinking steamboat is amazing and highly collectible i'm sure... as are most one-off events cards! happy PFF!
Vintage: You'd go broke if you were addicted to the real True Blood drink, said to cost $4 per bottle.
Thanks for your comment.
Very interesting post.
I love Martin's Fire and Ice series so I picked up Fevre Dream a while back. I started reading it and I was enjoying it, but I put it down somewhere and I can't find it.
Did you enjoy the novel?
Wave: Yes, I did. I didn't think it was the best thing I'd ever read, though.
Your comment reminds me to read the latest "Fire and Ice".
A LOT of the steamboats wrecked, some tragically. I have read a history of the Upper Missouri steamboats that traveled as far as Fort Benton, Montana, in the 1860s, 70s and 80's and because of inconsistent water flows, they often had difficulty getting to the "World's Innermost Port" as Fort Benton was known. It was over 2,000 miles from Saltwater.
I just love reading the trail of comments on this post - such a variety of subjects!
I've never heard of that book, but it sounds good. Isn't it interesting how natural disasters were photoed and sent as postcards. I guess it was a way to get the news of the day out to a wider audience.
That first one is beautiful - very dream-like.
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