I'm not sure how I managed to live in a river city for forty some years without hearing or reading stories about Mike Fink. I knew of the riverboat by that name of course; I've even had a couple of meals there. But I never gave a second thought as to who Mike Fink was until I came across the name in a history of the Alamo yesterday.Mike Fink was the known as "The Last of the Boatmen", one of those men who made their living navigating the large rivers of the American interior before the days of steam powered paddle-wheelers. He was a semi-legendary figure, born in the late 1700s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to French-Canadian parents. The reason his name appeared in the Alamo history I read was because he was supposed to have crossed paths with Davey Crockett, who described Fink as "half horse and half alligator." All accounts describe his being a keen shot with a rifle, hard-drinking, popular with the ladies and possessing both a quick wit and a bad temper. For further edification, click the link below.
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