Image: Louis Intres, Ph.D
Special for White River Now By Mary Kocz, program director for the Spring River Gem and Mineral Club
The Sultana disaster occurred on April 27, 1865, on the Mississippi River near Marion, Arkansas.
In 2009, the U.S. Congress officially recognized the destruction of the steamboat Sultana as the greatest maritime disaster in United States history.
Historian Louis Intres, Ph.D., an honorary member of the Spring River Gem & Mineral Club, will present “The Sultana Disaster Story” at 10 a.m., Friday, Nov. 7 at Thunderbird Center, 62 N. Lakeshore Road, in Cherokee Village. The story of the Sultana was hidden from the American people and their history books for more than 125 years.
“I first learned of the Sultana from Capt. Leo Blakely of Fort Smith, who was my surrogate father as a young boy. He was the last steamboat captain before the technological era,” Intres said. “I’ve extensively researched the Sultana disaster since 2003. It is a story of more than 2,400 souls placed aboard a small and dangerous steamboat. There are hundreds of individual stories surrounding the death of the Sultana. Fueled by greed and corruption at the highest levels of the Union Army, the catastrophic event killed more than 1,200. Early estimates went as high as 1,800.”
Intres is one of the most knowledgeable speakers on the subject. He founded the Sultana Historical Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization that manages the existing Sultana Disaster Museum and led efforts to establish the new national Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion, Arkansas, scheduled to open in fall 2026.
Intres retired at age 58 from the banking industry, where he served as chief operating officer, chief executive officer, and president. After retirement, he earned two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in history from Arkansas State University. Beginning in 2009, he taught for 10 years as an adjunct professor of history at ASU while also serving as an Interpol visiting scholar, helping mitigate the theft of artifacts from the Middle East.
The November Spring River Gem & Mineral Club program is traditionally given by a club member. The club is pleased to continue offering in-person programs presented by experts in their fields. “The Sultana Disaster Story” is the final program in the 2025 “Only in Arkansas” series, which explores the history and culture of the state. Visitors are welcome to this free meeting.
In December, instead of a meeting, the club will host a Christmas party for members. For more information about the Spring River Gem & Mineral Club, call or text 870-847-3109.
Image via Spring River Gem and Mineral Club
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