This is another illustration that ran through a few versions. It depicts Joseph Kinney's venture into flatboat ownership ending in disaster.
Flatboats were an affordable means of moving goods down river, especially before the steamboat was firmly established. Rivers were pretty treacherous to navigate due to snags and boat wrecks were not uncommon. When such wrecks would happen, nearby flatboats (should they be around) would help rescue the crew and save the cargo.
Originally I thought an illustration of such a scene would be interesting to look at, but the problem was that Joseph Kinney lost most all of his cargo which makes it unlikely that there would've been another flatboat close enough to salvage anything. So I pushed the other boat far into the background and made some other changes as well. Both versions are shown below.
This is the final art showing Joseph Kinney's wrecked flatboat.
Here is the first version of the flatboat wreck with another boat helping out. While I do like the commotion of this one, Joseph looks a bit too calm. Like he's asking the other captain how his corn crop is coming along or something.
This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.