American River Pirates and Their Influence on Pioneer Life

“When I think of pirates, I think of the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Aden. I don’t think of the Ohio River.” (Lepper) Mark Twain lived during a time when hearing someone’s relation of a river pirate in America was typical, and stores along the rivers were frequently being pillaged. He had much experience on the rivers due to his early profession, and witnessed first-hand the crimes that they committed. Twain expressed his thoughts toward piracy through his literature, written around the time that these greedy bandits took place. In the late 18th century, river pirates roamed the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, hunting for pioneers traveling down the river with their cargo. A common location for them to reside was a large tavern referred to as Cave-In-Rock, and since this was so easily disguised the pirates used their cunning and intelligence to scam the pioneers into their trap. River pirates were an essential element to America’s history, and they provided for many of the hardships the pioneers had to face when living in early America.
River piracy began in the late 18th century as the river traffic increased due to trading in New Orleans. People would sail down the river with all of their possessions they intended to trade, and because of this many found it extremely economically profitable to steal from these boats. The pirates remained mainly on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, since these were the two most frequent routes to use when traveling to New Orleans. The most common location for the pirates to reside was a huge cavern that is referred to today as, Cave-In-Rock. (Davis) * Cave-In-Rock was a vast cavern about 55 feet by 160 feet, situated in the limestone bluffs right off of the Ohio River in Southern Illinois (Davis). This was a wonderful haven for criminals engrossed in river piracy since it provided expansive views of the Ohio River due to its lofty elevation of about 50 feet up (Ailinani). Also, since there were countless trees

Cited: Ailinani, Hary. “River Pirates of Cave-In-Rock.” Illinois Peridicals Online (IPO_. N.p., 1996. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . “Attractions.” Discover Southeastern Illinois. American Legion, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . Clemens, Samuel Langhorne. Life on the Mississippi. New York, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1917. Print. CMG Solutions. The Official Website of Mark Twain. Estate of Mark Twain, 5 July 2006. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . Foreman, Anne H. “Sketches by Anne.” Sam Mason. Anne H. Foreman, 2005. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . “River Pirates.” Perspectives. Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University, 2006. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . “Shawnee Hills Scenic Byway.” Reader’s Digest. The Reader’s Digest Association, 2010. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York: P.F. Collier and Sons, 1920. Print. Valois, Renee. “Rivers of Darkness.” The History Channel Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . Weiser, Kathy. “The Vicious Harpes.” First American Serial Killers. N.p., 1 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. .