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Interview: Captain “Doc” Hawley of the Steamboat NATCHEZ

Captain Clarke "Doc" Hawley recalls forty years on the river

Published: March 8, 2016
Last Updated: October 2, 2019

Interview: Captain “Doc” Hawley of the Steamboat NATCHEZ

Photo by Chris Robert

Captain Clarke C. “Doc” Hawley has served as master of three of the remaining five Mississippi River steamboats, including of the Steamboat NATCHEZ. His career began when he boarded a steamboat in his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia as a calliope player. Although Captain “Doc” retired in 1995, he continues to serve the Steamboat NATCHEZ as a substitute calliope player.

64 Parishes interviewed him aboard the NATCHEZ.