Captain Worden (1817-1901) had a career that spanned 30 years on at least seven notable steamboats on the Mississippi River. His record-setting exploits can be found in several distinguished works by experienced steamboatmen and well-established authorities on steamboating. He was a steamboat Captain through the Civil War between Memphis and St. Louis and boasted a career of many firsts and unprecedented records.
Worden began his career at age 19 as the captain of the side-wheeler, The Chesapeake, between Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York and continued service in the Great Lakes for another decade before moving to Mississippi steamers in Galena, Illinois in 1846. He captained a 40-mile rudderless exploit of the Key City and the Grey Eagle-Itasca race to St. Paul and was the captain of the Fanny Harris, first steamboat of the Dubuque, Wisconsin, and Minnesota Packet Company, in 1856.
His tenure earned him the nickname “Master of the Key City” and the Fanny Harris became known as the “champion of the upper river” that “never lost the broom” to any of the nine steamers that challenged her to a race. Worden also set the record for his trip from St. Paul to St. Louis in two days, 21 hours and 49 minutes as captain of the Hawkeye State, in July 1867, a record Mark Twain noted in “Life on the Mississippi” to have never been beaten.
Worden’s record-setting exploits can be found in several distinguished works by experienced steamboatmen and well-established authorities on steamboating.