Life on the Mississippi, 1969

by Dell Franklin

Almost a century after Mark Twain wrote Life on the Mississippi, the legendary river imparted different lessons to a young Dell Franklin, fresh out of the army in 1969. Most of the lessons a young Samuel Clemens learned came from the captains of the boats he served on, helping him to become a pilot with the knowledge to navigate the snags and tricky currents of the Mississippi. But during Dell Franklin's brief but colorful life on the river the lessons came from the lower decks, the galley, storeroom, and sleeping quarters he shared with Black crew members and the Black chef, Henry Joyner Sr., a master of his galley and a true life character who is unforgettable.

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2021

Reviews

[Charley Knight]

This book is a picture of midwestern/southern life on the Mississippi in 1969 from the journals of a white, flamed-out, MLB contender who goes to work on the Delta Queen as a sto’keepa’. Told in the vernacular of his southern mostly black crew mates, it made me feel like I was there. This book should be taught along side Twain’s “Roughing it”, and Orwell’s, “Down and out in Paris and London”. It will become a classic if someone in the literary world promotes it. They should.

McPhee was headed to Alaska at about this time. Franklin’s prose captures the characters like McPhee, but Franklin faithfully relates full conversations, in their vernacular, with details of their struggles which make these characters, even the troubled ones, fully formed and will endear them to the reader.

Comparisons with Kerouac and the gonzo journalism of the 70s & 80s (Hunter S. Thompson, etc.) are not quite right. Those seemed more staged, for the purpose of writing a book or the journalism that followed. Franklin’s book is a faithful, intimate reading of the authors fifty year old journal, written when he was still searching for a path forward in life; the outcome uncertain even though disadvantaged crew mates often point out his privilege. Fortunately for us, he had the instinct to record it all and preserve it here.

It’s been more than 50 years since the author’s experience on the Delta Queen in 1969; only 1/2 the time between Twain and Franklin’s journey (about 100 years!). With the acceleration of time and technology, I expect the differences between Franklin’s 1969 trip, and one taken today would be just as great. I’m sure an aspiring author would find fertile ground on the Delta Queen in the 2020’s. Maybe one of my sons will take up the challenge?

Memoirs like this are a favorite genre of mine, and it’s rare to discover such a good one organically, from reading local news sources. He recently turned 80 and shut the bars down in Cayucos, and wrote about it in his periodic column in the CalCoast news. The byline mentions that he wrote this book and that’s how I found it. I’m happy if did!

[Judy Salamacha]

A Must Before Your Mississippi River Cruise

I felt like I have now seen Mark Twain’s Mississippi River and more during a heyday when commercial cruising wasn’t so commercial. Nice visuals and perspective reading the journey experiences from the crew and galley. Would make a terrific movie!