The Last of the Flatboats A Story of the Mississippi and Its Interesting Family of Rivers

"The Last of the Flatboats" by George Cary Eggleston is an early 20th-century adventure story that unfolds in Vevay, Indiana, where a group of ambitious boys, spearheaded by Phil Lowry, construct a flatboat for a journey down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. The novel explores the themes of friendship, grit, and the thrill of exploration as the boys navigate the challenges of the river and the potential for profit. Introduced to the resourceful Lowry brothers, alongside their friends, they recover valuable pig-iron from a wrecked barge, which inspires them to build a flatboat. Their journey takes a twist with the arrival of Jim Hughes, a mysterious man who wants to be their pilot. Tensions rise as they question Hughes’s motives, leading to a journey marked by suspense, camaraderie, and the wild nature of the Mississippi.