River rafts and pole boats preceded the mighty steamboat as vessels of the Ocmulgee River. In 1829 the steamboat "North Carolina" made it all the way from Darien to Macon. For almost a century the steamboat provided transportation for people and goods along the Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Altamaha Rivers. Jacksonville was one of the main river ports and the steamboats caused a lot of excitement; sometimes, too much. In the Spring of 1860, the "S.M. Manning" blew up below Jacksonville and 14 people were killed. Some were never found. Later, the railroads replaced the steamboats but the big vessels established a place in history which will never be forgotten.