09/04/2026
Texas History Spotlight — September 4, 1839
187 years ago today, a small river steamer that once served as the seat of Texas government quietly disappeared from the historical record — sold and never heard from again.
The Cayuga was built in Pennsylvania in 1832 and arrived in Texas in August 1834 under the command of John E. Ross. She holds the distinction of being the first commercially successful steamboat in Texas, and she played a pivotal role during the Texas Revolution — carrying supplies for the revolutionary army and transporting government officials and refugees fleeing the fighting.
Her most remarkable chapter came in April 1836, when she briefly served as the floating capitol of the Republic of Texas. On April 15, Captain William P. Harris evacuated Harrisburg aboard the Cayuga just ahead of General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s advancing troops, carrying President David G. Burnet, his cabinet, and the town’s inhabitants to safety. After stops at Lynch’s Ferry, New Washington, Anahuac, and Galveston, the cabinet remained aboard, conducting the business of the young republic from the steamer’s deck through April 26 — with Burnet himself narrowly escaping capture at New Washington before rejoining them.
Three years later, on this date in 1839, the Cayuga was sold — and simply vanished from history.
A humble steamboat that, for a few critical weeks, carried the entire government of Texas to safety.
Source: Texas State Historical Association — Texas Day by Day
https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/572
