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Research Library * Museum * Model Boats Gift Shop * About * Search * Contact Steamboats of the 50 States Monkey on a Stick Documentary Steamboats of Our History March 7, 2025 Beating Back Time station on Youtube just posted a short summary of how steamboats influenced American history. It's a four minute video, and at 2.54 into the video, they name the Delta Queen and the Robert E. Lee became symbols of opulence. Youtube Researcher Looking for Information February 19, 2025 Please contact us with any information and we will forward it to Carl! Here's what he's researching: Hello, I am doing research on a small town in Wisconsin, Horicon. In 1846 a dam was built on the Rock River, flooding what was then (and is now again) the Horicon Marsh. This lake was marketed as one of the largest man-made lakes in the world at the time. Starting in 1857 and running through 1867 several steamboats were built and operated on Lake Horicon. Mostly used for freight hauling to and from the railroad station in Horicon to lumber mills, flour mills, etc. as far north as Kekoskee and Chester Wisconsin. Passenger transport was also offered. Auction for Steamboat Mail, Stamps Online February 10-11, 2025 If you are interested in steamboat stamps and steamboat mail, there is an online auction. Here's a link so you can take a look at what they have for sale: rumseyauctions.com 
Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness and the Hare Krishnas A new project for Nori Muster, Founder of Steamboats.com February 6, 2025 Your webdesigner and author (me) is in a new documentary: Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness and the Hare Krishnas. I was in the Krishna temple from 1978 to 1988. Regrets? I have a few. The best way to outdo a few bad years in a religious cult is to immerse oneself in steamboats. It really works. The version currently playing on USA Amazon is the TV series, which is slightly different from the movie. Our movie has been successful in Canada and it will be available around the world soon. Click here to see our collection of reviews! Monkey on a Stick at Steamboats.com/monkeyonastick 
Vintage Steamboat Signs January 21, 2025 
Debra C. sent photos of these wonderful steamboat signs she found,and included this note:
It was clear to me these could not be connected because the Hudson River and the Western Rivers are not connected. However, there might ba a very small Hudson River somewhere in the deep South, who knows. It could even be a nick name for a river bend where they had steamboat races. Thanks to online research at the Steamboats of America group on Facebook, we found out these are most likely less than fifty years old, as they've been spotted in Hobby Lobby shops. So I would call it retro. Or vintage retro. I would like to know if people are still making retro steamboat signs! To see the Dave Thomson photos of authentic vintage and antique steamboat signs go here: steamboatmuseum For President Jimmy Carter It was the Delta Queen or Nothing! Published in the Waterways Journal on January 3, 2025 In memory of President Jimmy Carter, Waterways Journal Editor Frank McCormack spoke with steamboat historian Judy Patsch to learn about Jimmy Carter's 1979 cruise on the Delta Queen Steamboat. It's full of great stories. Read the article: waterwaysjournal.net Another place I recall reading about the President's cruise was in the book Voices on the River, by Dennis Brown. One of Brown's interviews was with Russ Zahn, who took his family on the Delta Queen when Jimmy Carter and his family were there. (Voices of the River) I also found an memory published just now online: A teen's week with the president and his family on the Mississippi. To read the article go here: eplocalnews.org Opinion President Carter Set a Good Example January 4, 2025 We only have only so much time in this life on Earth, but during President Carter's one hundred years, he was in love, active, brilliant, skilled, and accomplished. That's something to strive for as adults. Throughout my life, after having the honor to vote for Carter, I watched him go. He continued to spread kindness and care all around the world into his nineties. And his memory will live on. Starting now as his funeral begins, I realize he taught us kindness and charity to the end. We don't control what happens in the world. At times American leadership gets it right, and we can help solve a problem. But solving any problem in this world is a miracle, not something that happens on demand. Fighting, belittling, and demanding don't solve problems. That's especially true when the one complaining is a tyrant or narcissist. And the people he bullies are struggling to survive. If we truly want peace on Earth, we would need to evolve in consciousness so we could all work together as equal. Maybe it's impossible to get peace on Earth, but that would be the road to get there. Jimmy Carter was an exceptional human; honest, calm, and married for seventy-seven years. Jimmy Carter makes me feel proud to be an American. God bless Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and their family. He was here with us in our lifetime, and we all could focus on following in his footsteps. Delta Queen 1926 October 1, 2024 Today my Google Alert for "Delta Queen Steamboat" sent me a link to an amazing website featuring baby photos of the Delta Queen from 1925 and 1926! Click here to find the webpage. jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net The site also has 1914 photos of the Belle of Louisville, and more photos and information. Sternwheel Festival September 15, 2024 The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival took place last week and yesterday's article in The Marietta Times focuses on one boat that could not attend. The articles comes with the headline: "The Delta Queen is a visitor missed by many." Staff Reporter Art Smith acknowledges the steamboat community's feelings: we miss the Delta Queen. In the article he tells the story of how the Delta Queen moved from California to the Western Rivers just after World War II. It's worth a read! mariettatimes.com. You can find more Delta Queen news at the Delta Queen Steamboat Company's Facebook page: Facebook. Howard Museum to Host a Forum about the Delta Queen September 8, 2024 @ 4 p.m. at the Howard Museum in Jeffersonville, Indiana 
Update on the American Queen: several US Senators, Representatives, and other people in power are aware of the American Queen's situation and are working on this issue. Please call your two Senators and Representatives to tell them to save the American Queen. If you live in Louisiana, please call your Governor and local elected officials. Tell them the American Queen has been on the Western Rivers for thirty years. She is in good shape and two cities have offered to take her in. Here's an interview with John Waggoner who previously owned the American Queen: Youtube The Queen Must Not Die July 25, 2024 Last April American Cruise Lines bought all the boats from American Queen Voyages. As soon as they bought the boats for millions of dollars, they sent them to the scrap yard. This will include the American Queen which will be scrapped on January 1, 2025. Why buy these boats and then destroy them? This is an excerpt from Seatrade-Cruise.com to explain how the transaction occurred: Vessel prices: I'm not sure what we can do to save the Queen. but it seems anti-American. Why else would ACL buy paddlewheel steamboats - an icon of American history thanks to Mark Twain - and then pay a scrap yard to dismantle them? Shame on them. Steamboat Riding the Rapids July 7, 2024 After studying family ancestry, Philip Newton wrote to us about his steamboat ancestor W.W. Prather, whose boat was the Katie Prather (named after his aunt). While documenting his ancestor J. Richard Lawwill, Philip found this story about the Katie Prather. Lawwill learned about it from Fred Way, but it had been in river lore for decades. The Fred Way directory says Katie Prather was still on the books in 1892. At the Thanksgiving season, (W.W. Prather the boat owner) had arranged to pick up several crates of turkeys from a farm on upper Brush Creek. At the riffles in the creek, the boat barely cleared the shallows. They proceeded to the farm, loaded the crates of turkeys and hurried back downstream, (but) the boat could not clear the riffles. Philip Newton has located the plans for the boat and a photo of a model boat of the Katie Prather, but research continues. He hopes to find photos of the boat and his ancestors. To read more about the Katie Prather, click here: Ancesetry Stories UW La Crosse Murphy Library Honors David Thomson June 3, 2024 The Eugene Murphy Library Special Recognition Award was established in 1986 to recognize those who have significantly contributed to advancing the library's mission. This year the Award is being posthumously awarded to the late Dave Thomson. 
Dave was a steamboat historian, enthusiast and collector of all things steamboats. His unexpected passing in 2021 left his brother, Darryl, searching for a new home for Dave's vast collection valued at $64,000. Murphy Library's reputation led Darryl to reach out, resulting in the 2022 cross-country journey of Dave's materials from Southern California to their new forever home in Special Collections at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. Click here to read more: uwlax.edu Nineteenth Century Efforts to Curb Steam Boat Boiler Explosions June 2, 2024 Steamboat researcher John Bernhardt compiled a thesis on the 1838-1865 efforts to address the problems with steamboat boiler explosions. Bernhardt sent his document to publish at this site and wants to reach out to steamboat societies and archives that have a serious interest in archival steamboat history. Bernhardt said: I used mostly primary sources from the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) in Washington, DC. Most of the information has never seen light of day until my work.This document describes how our government got to the creation of the Steam Boat Inspection Service, the precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard. You can read the whole paper here: SteamboatInspectionService.pdf THE PRACTICAL ENGINEERS' REBELLION: EVANS PATENT SAFETY GUARD AND THE FAILURE OF SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY IN THE STEAM BOAT INSPECTION SERVICE, 1830-1862 John A. Bernhardt III, Master of Arts, 2008 Directed By: Dr. Robert Friedel, Professor, History Department, University of Maryland. (Author's errata note on p.191: "Engineers Dickey and Watson were NOT exonerated.") 2024 Steamboat Race May 2, 2024 The great steamboat race took place yesterday in Louisville, Kentucky. Congratulations to the Belle of Cincinnati. "It was amazing when the boats crossed the Finish Line. We could hear on land the crowds on both boats cheering and having such a great time," said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO. "You could feel the vibe the entire race." Apply for SSHSA Job Openings April 18, 2024 
Are you a hard-working professional with a passion for making a difference in this world? Are you willing to share your knowledge, expertise, and time with a talented, seasoned, and multi-task oriented crew of non-profit leaders charged with moving Full-Ahead, educating and reaching the next generation of maritime enthusiasts? If your answers are yes, then we'd like to hear from you. SSHSA is seeking motivated, skilled, and efficiency-driven individuals able to accomplish great amounts of achievements in a fun, congenial, and drama-free cultural environment. Positions are based on-site at SSHSA's 8,000 square-foot Ship History Center, located in Warwick, Rhode Island, only a few miles from vibrant Providence, picturesque Narragansett Bay, and America's City by the Sea, Newport. For immediate consideration, please send a letter of interest, resume and a brief statement of what unique characteristic(s) set you apart from others to: Matthew S. Schulte, Executive Director - mschulte@sshsa.org We encourage sharing this posting with colleagues and friends who may be interested in applying. Click on job title below to see description of SSHSA Current Job Openings: Director of Development (full time) Administrative Assistant (part time) Assistant Archivist (part time) 
New Video of the Delta Queen in Houma March 18, 2024 Google Alerts brought this newly-recorded footage of the Delta Queen Steamboat in Houma, Louisiana. Take a look: 
Youtube The Rogue River Once Had a Paddle Wheel Boat March 5, 2024 Recently I was discussing with Ben Truwe how unfortunate it was to have never had a paddle wheel boat on his river, the Rogue River in Oregon. However, he wrote back with the good news there once was a paddle wheel boat on the Rogue River! Sometimes riverboat history breaks our hearts, but it's good to know the truth. On Feb 23, 2024, Ben Truwe wrote: I was astounded to find mention of a paddle wheeler on the Rogue River - briefly. This is all I have: Rogue River's Only Steamboat Sinks. The steamer Rogue River, property of the Rogue River Packing & Navigation Company, capsized and sank last Thursday in the Rogue River below the mouth of the Illinois, and is a total loss. When the little steamer was within half a mile of its destination, in lining over a rapid the line parted, throwing the steamer against the bank and completely demolished the driving wheel. The boat was disabled and at the mercy of the current. The steamer drifted down the river a distance of three miles, when upon striking an eddy upset in about 20 feet of water. The steamer was of 25 tonnage, and carried merchandise and machinery valued at $6000. The Rogue River was valued at $6000. The loss on vessel and cargo is total. The Rogue River was built last spring by Joseph Supple and shipped from Portland in knock-down shape. - Medford Success, November 25, 1902, page 1. SOHS Research Library M77F2 Howard Museum to Host a Forum on the Delta Queen Posted: March 1, 2024 Event: September 8, 2024
News of the Delta Queen December 30, 2023 Two years ago the small town of Kimmswick,Missouri, built a new dock but just in two years the water receded and boats cannot access the dock. The news came out today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Since the Delta Queen has a connection with Kimmswick, the article includes a few paragraphs about the Queen: Meanwhile, one company's absence from the Kimmswick riverfront isn't due to current low water levels. To read the whole article, go to stltoday.com. Christmas Day Wishes December 25, 2023 During this time of turmoil in our world and in our own country, we pray that everyone take a moment to reconsider. It's a fact we human beings are more alike than we are different. We all share common needs and feelings. So let's pray for peace in the coming new year even though it almost sounds like too much to ask. 
Joe Fowler Drawing December 23, 2023 One of our readers, Lorri Conklin, sent us a picture of this drawing of the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat. The print had been stored in the back of her closet for many years. 
Artist's signature (lower right) © J. Franklin Brown 1968 The Joe Fowler served as a steamboat for Disney in Florida from 1971-1980. Sadly, like many other riverboats, the Joe Fowler suffered a tragic death. In 1980 during a routine dry dock operation, the crane broke and dropped the boat, destroying it beyond repair. Rest in peace Joe Fowler. While the boat suffered an early death, the boat's namesake lived to be ninety-nine years old. For more information about this boat, see Wikipedia. The Streckfus Riverboat Dynasty December 18, 2023 The Streckfus Riverboat Dynasty: Jazz and the Big Smoke Canoe, by Arthur L. Smith, is now available in a hefty, four hundred page hardcover. Amazon calls it "a thrilling story of the days of excursion riverboat glory on the great Mississippi and Ohio rivers." History doesn't save itself, but books on the history of our favorite boat lines will help preserve steamboat history for decades to come. Purchase the book now at Amazon and other online venues. You can also order it at your local indi bookstore. 
The River is Now a Book! December 1, 2023 If you've been following The River, by Captain Donald J. Sanders, published weekly in the Northern Kentucky Tribune, you will be happy to learn the good captain's stories are now available as a book! The River: River rat to steamboatman, riding 'magic river spell' to 65-year adventure. 
Buy it now through the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism: The River. Friends Mourning the Loss of Keith Norrington November 19, 2023 Earlier this year we lost Keith Norrington who was a pillar of the steamboat community. He was an encyclopedia of steamboat history and his teacher and mentor was Ruth Ferris. Keith was one of the first people I met after starting steamboats.com. He sent me a pack of photos to post and it was the first exhibit on steamboats.com - The Keith Norrington River Room. I would like to share this post from a friend in Florida: On Nov 19, 2023, at 11:58 AM, Carole Matthews wrote: Keith E Norrington died 8 30 2023 services 9 5 2023 burial 9 5 2023 Keith's services were at Naville Grace Seabrook Funeral Home located at Chapel of Naville 1119 East Market Street New Albany Indiana 47150 They have a 20 minute film about his life and it was so fascinating to watch I was afraid to move. It shows him with Ruth Ferris will explain later accepting the bell from the destroyed Mississippi Queen on the Belle of Louisville on the Becky Thatcher and on the Delta Queen Keith enjoyed playing organs and calliopes and belong to several organ clubs Now about Ruth Ferris a close longtime friend of Keith's She wrote with the help of Elizabeth A Picard a book called Ruth's River Dreams she was a former schoolteacher it is on sale in paperback online. Ruth Ferris died in 1997 As far as thinking about Keith my friend for 14 years he can be described as a KIND SOUL I would send him little riverboat models every year for Xmas and I would get a fast reply saying KEEP UP STEAM and how much he liked them MISS MY FRIEND TERRIBLY Riverboat Carole 
Book Review A Beautiful Portrait of the Delta Queen Steamboat September 13, 2023 Voices on the River: 22 Days on the Delta Queen by Dennis Brown Reviewed by Nori Muster Dennis Brown took eight cruises on the Delta Queen Steamboat in the seventies and eighties, then got the ultimate invitation to stay for three cruises in a row. This is something any of us could only dream about! Brown was a CBS Entertainment publicist who helped out with the production of the three-part Civil War documentary, The Blue and The Gray. The documentary features actor Sterling Hayden, who portrayed abolitionist John Brown. When the documentary was set to play on three consecutive Delta Queen cruises, they invited Dennis Brown to introduce the show and tell behind-the-scenes stories from the production. Brown says he brought along a tape recorder just in case he might get some good interviews. In 1987 he used his recorded interviews to write the first hundred pages of the book he envisioned. Then he put it aside for more than thirty years. When he found the unfinished manuscript he read it over and found the interviews were "as timeless as the river itself," so he went ahead and completed the manuscript [p. 2]. Brown's interviews are candid conversations from random Delta Queen moments like sitting around the dining room table or watching the shore go by in lounge chairs on the deck. He also included relevant stories from people who weren't on the Delta Queen. A good example is a long conversation with a taxi driver in Memphis. Dennis asked Walter if he was working on the day Elvis Presley died. The Taxi driver recalled fans from around the country flooding into Memphis to congregate at Graceland. He also shared his memories of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. [pp. 248-250]. Dennis embeds each discussion with background about the river, the boat, and sentimental memories he's held over many years. He also discusses his favorite moments from his years with CBS. The memoir is packed with stories from the history of the places the boat takes him on this twenty-two day voyage. The book is composed of three sections, one for each back-to-back cruise, and each of the twenty-two chapters cover one day of the cruise. Anybody who loves the Delta Queen Steamboat would appreciate the amount of history contained in this book. One example is when Brown speaks with dinner table friend Russ Zahn from Wisconsin. Zahn and his family happened to be on the Delta Queen in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter and his family were on the boat. Zahn's narrative filled in a lot of blanks spots for me because I knew the Carters were on the boat, but there's a lot more to it than that. It was fascinating to learn the Secret Service referred to the Delta Queen as "Steamboat One." Captain Fred Way, the man who helped bring the Delta Queen to the South, was also at the table. After Zahn told his memories of that cruise, Captain Way told his most prominent memory. He said Mr. Robert Simonton, the savior of Green Line Steamers, died in California while the Carters we on the boat. He said right after Mr. Simonton died, a squall hit the Delta Queen with seventy-five miles-per-hour winds and rain. [pp. 100-104]. After hearing from Mr. Zahn and Captain Way, Zahn asked the author if he had ever met Jimmy Carter. Then Brown recalls his encounter with President Carter and that's how day seven wound up. [pp. 105-109] This book includes a sixteen page insert with historic photos and each chapter has additional pictures. Plus, each section features a map of the rivers they visit on that cruise. It's not easy to find a map of the Western Rivers, and this book would make a great gift for anybody on your list. Voices on the River is now available at Amazon.com: Hardcover $37.99 Paperback $26.99 
1962 Memoir of Travel on The Delta Queen Surfaces September 5, 2023 After sixty years, a memoir of one man's travel on the Delta Queen Steamboat has come to light. The author is Russell E. Vanderbilt, and he went on a three wek cruise, beginning in Cincinnati, traveling to Minneapolis-Saint Paul on the Mississippi River, and back to Cincinnati. He describes the boat, the itinerary, and river history of the areas he visits. This concise eighteen page memoir will take you back to the time when Greene Line Steamers was based in Cincinnati. Steamboats.com thanks the author's granddaughter Linda Dietrick for sending the memoir and asking that we post it at the site. Click here to read the memoir, with introduction by Linda Dietrick: Memoir of a Cruise on the Delta Queen, by Russell E. Vanderbilt Harriott II Riverboat August 9, 2023 
Harriott II Riverboat, a historic 19th century paddle wheel gives river tours out of the Downtown Montgomery riverfront. This boat has a permanent, assigned docking slip at the riverfront. Don't steal this lady's parking spot and beat up the captain. That's just wrong! The people who did this deserve to be in prison at the least. Support all riverboats, and everyone who takes care of the boats - especially the historic boats that are still with us! I couldn't find Harriott II Riverboat in the Fred Way Directory, but added her to the steamboats of the fifty states list. I put in a call to find out if it runs on steam. If this boat was renamed since 1994, let me know so I can find out more about it! A New Home for the Dave Thomson Collection July 21, 2023, updated August 8, 2023 After Dave Thomson, primary contributor and historian of Steamboats.com, left us, his brother and sister-in-law spent two years processing and packing Dave's photos, books, model boats, and other steamboat materials. The major part of the collection was bound for the Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Murphy's Special Collections Library already had one of the largest paddle wheel steamboat photo collections in the world. Now it's doubled in size. 
Video of reception of the Dave Thomson Collection: The Dave Thomson Collection at La Crosse 
UWL campus news article: "Steamboat photos and memorabilia continue to flow into the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse" uwlax.edu 
This is how the Dave Thomson collection looked when the moving van dropped it off at Murphy Library. You can still see Dave's collection here at steamboats.com - steamboat museum. Opinion David of Louisville July 19, 2023 The editors at Steamboats.com would like to encourage the 21c Museum Hotel and greater Louisville community to get poor old David some cover. For many years he's been standing around naked on Main Street. At first that sounds like fun, but it's got to wear on a guy. We think David would look great in a pair of running shorts with steamboats. So let's go Louisville. Let's get David some steamboat shorts! 
Video from the Engine Room July 5, 2023 Over the Fourth of July weekend I went on the Belle of Louisville and came back with video and photos. It's all posted here: steamboat museum. Anastasia Lost and Found April 11, 2023 Sometimes we lose track of our favorite steamboats because, obviously they can move around, and furthermore, they can change their names. Recently Ellen McCroskey, who lives on the Ohio River, wanted help locating her favorite boat, Valley Voyager. I searched everywhere and had no clue. But then she realized the name had changed several times - Valley Voyager - Dottie G. - and now Anastasia. You can go for a cruise on the Anastasia, now located in Stillwater, Minnesota, as part of Stillwater River Boats' fleet. Ellen sent some pictures she found, and I'm grateful we rediscovered this beautiful boat. I do my level best to keep track of the paddle wheel steamboats in America here: Steamboats of the Fifty States. If you notice any that are missing, or listed in the wrong location, please feel free to contact me! 
The Steamer Admiral by Annie Amantea Blum Photos and history. Paperback Amazon Kindle Amazon The book above has more pictures while the blue book is more definitive with some pictures and more historical text. 
The Steamer Admiral and Streckfus Steamers, A Personal View by Annie Amantea Blum This book has fewer photos, but a more comprehensive history of the Admiral, and includes history of the Streckfus family. Hardcover: Amazon Buy directly from the author for a discount on these books - $15 each plus $3 each for shipping. Send cash, check, or money order to: Annie Blum, 6239 Westway Pl., St. Louis, MO 63109. For more information. For more information email Annie at barley.blum @ gmail.com. Avalon Memories March 1, 2023 Robert Powell wrote: Hello Nori Muster, Over the years I have enjoyed your site along with another riverboat/steamboat website. I have seen many photos and stories about the Idlewild/Avalon/Belle of Louisville and most all were great photos and stories about this boat. Now I would like to share my story about this great boat. Like Mark Twine, so to speak, and a few other individuals that grew up in a river town so did I. My hometown of New Albany, Indiana had its fame and glory during the Golden Age of Steamboats. New Albany's six shipbuilders had the reputation for building fast & elegant boats, I am sure every riverboat captain knew of New Albany, if not before The Great Race they sure did after the Robert E. Lee beat the Natchez to St. Louis from New Orleans. Captain John W. Cannon specifically chose New Albany to build his boat because he wanted to have the fastest boat on the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers. Back to the Belle of Louisville - before I was born my parents went on many dance cruises on the Avalon as I did when I became a young man living in New Albany and partying in Louisville, although it was not called the Avalon by then. But even before that, back when I was in high school, we had our Junior/Senior prom in May of 1961 on the Avalon. That was not the first time New Albany High School held their prom on this boat, I know it dates to at least the 1940s. My class wanted to hold our 1962 prom on the boat for the following year but that night when we tried to book our prom, we were told the company was going out of business and this will be our last trip home to Cincinnati. Well, as you know, the city of Louisville bought the boat and renamed her the Belle of Louisville. 
Thanks, Robert G. Powell, New Albany H.S. Class of 1962 Editor's note: You're welcome Robert and thanks for sharing your story! Showboat History Update February 19, 2023 Duane E. Mann wrote: I am writing to you in reference to the showboat pages on the steamboats.com website. You were the first contact information that I found. I have some sad news relating to the Golden Rod, National Landmark, ShowBoat. I had some contact with the people who were trying to return her to service somehow in the early 2000's As I was contacted by them inrelation to a project that I started working with around that time, The James Adams Floating Theatre, JAFT.Sadly my website for the JAFT seems to have lost it's URL But I hope to gt it running again now that I have seen it is no longer linked to my pages, cbft.pairsite.com Upon first hearing about showboats and before writing her Novel Showboat Edna Ferber contacted both the GoldenRod and the James Adams for the purpose of research. Only Charles Hunter and Beulah Adams from the JAFT, responded, having followed her stories in the magazines. She then went down to meet them in Bath North Carolina and spent four days, I believe she said,aboard doing various things helping around, as often happened on showboats, mainly waiting for Charles Hunter to have time to speak with her. Once he did she took many pages of notes from his experiences as, evidently, his father was a riverboat captain on the Ohio river that propelled showboats in his youth. I "assume" that one was the original Cotton Blossom, and inspired much of the name's association with the novel and therefore both stage and movie offerings. Another similarity of the subject showboats is that they both succumbed to fire. The James Adams in 1941 near Savanah, GA while going in for refitting after her sale. And from what I saw on the GoldenRod's facebook page, facebook.com/GoldenrodShowboat the GoldenRod burned up, I believe on the Indiana River in the 2000s sometime, likely due to vandals. I have several photos given to our organization by the author Richard C. Gilespie who wrote a fine book about the James Adams Floating Theatre: Amazon.com I have some pictures of the James Adams Floating Theatre, some scanned in high resolution. And I have some facebook followers that were descendants of crew/cast members on our facebook page: facebook.com/groups/FloatingTheatre I belive the the last living performer, Rachael Brown, passed away here in Maryland in the early 2000s. I would be interested in maintaining contact with you and or Dave about these lovely pieces of American history, as I continue to try and return the James Adams Floating Theatre experience to Mid-Atlantic coastal communities. On another note the Majestic was purchased a few years ago and was being moored near Manchester, Ohio: local12.com. I hope to make a trip there one day soon to look her over. I suspect the plan is to put her back into operation as a stationary attraction vessel: Facebook.com A a side note the Steamboat ERA museum in Irvington, VA, steamboateramuseum.org has the absolute hands down best model of the James Adams that I have seen to date. - Duane E. Mann Chesapeake Bay Floating Theatre cbft.pairsite.com 
Our reply to Duane: Thank you for the information. We are saddened by the fate of the world's most famous showboats. Steamboat history does not save itself. Also sadly, Dave Thomson passed away in 2021. When he left, he took an encyclopedia of steamboat history with him. But let's stay in contact! - Nori, web designer For more showboat information at this site, go to: Showboats New showboat photos and posters The Goldenrod Showboat Photos of one of America's great showboats, lying in pieces in a yard in the St. Louis area in 2015. 2023 Louisiana Rose Parade Steamboat January 5, 2023 Thank God somebody finally put a steamboat in the Pasadena Rose Parade! We love you Louisiana! 
Lego Steamboat Models December 20, 2022 This site has boats built out of Legos, and Simple Ship Designs made a Lego model of the Delta Queen. He doesn't list his name, but he dedicated it to his girlfriend. Have a look! rebrickable.com 2023 Steamboat Calendars November 17, 2022 2023 Sternwheel Wall Calendar is Available! Back by popular demand, the 2023 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2023 include: MARY WOODS No. 2 BELFONT JUDGE ROSS PHILIP RITCHIE SUSIE (EDNA & DIESEL) PITTSBURGH L. G. BEAVER R. J. B. MARY ALICE ST. DENNIS PROSPERITY TENNESSEE PATTIE T (LOUISE) CHARLOTTE The 2023 calendar marks our 22nd year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: draftware.com/calendar Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: 
Steamboat Community Mourns the Loss of Doc Hawley November 13, 2022 Doc Hawley, New Orleans riverboat captain and calliope player, dies at 87 Retired Natchez captain was 'one of the keepers of the flame of steamboat romance' - NOLA The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate nola.com Northern Kentucky Tribune nkytribune The Waterways Journal Weekly waterwaysjournal.net WorkBoat workboat.com Calliope concerts with Doc. Hawley Calliope with Captain Clarke Doc Hawley part 1 Capt. Clarke Doc Hawley Playing The Calliope At The W. P. SNYDER, JR's 100th Birthday Celebration DELTA QUEEN Calliope Capt. Clarke Doc Hawley Steam CaLLiope at TaLL Stacks 1992, Capt. DOC Hawley Louisiana Cultural Vistas narrated by Captain Doc Hawley 
Doc Hawley at the Steamboat NATCHEZ calliope October 1989. Energy Saving System  New Yorker magazine, August 1, 2022 
Mark your calendars! Tickets are now available for SEVEN special event cruises aboard Belle of Louisville Riverboats! Swashbuckling Family Adventure - September 25 Crossing the Ohio: Exploring the Underground Railroad and River Connection - October 8 Dream Within A Dream: A Journey With Edgar Allan Poe - October 13 & 14 Fall Foliage & Geology Cruise - October 22 Dining and Sightseeing options available! Hull-o-ween Family Cruise - October 29 Haunted River Cruise (Ages 21+) - October 29 Book your cruises now: belleoflouisville.org/cruises/special-events/ 
The Maine lake full of sunken steamboats September 22, 2022 We of course knew the Western Rivers were full of sunken steamboats, but now it turns out Moosehead Lake, in Maine, had sunken steamboats. Plus, the owners sank the boats because of a dip in tourism. Learn more about the era and what remains . . . Maine lake full of sunken steamboats - BBC Travel. Collecting and Preserving Steamboat History September 4, 2022 This year Andrew Trovato procured a collection of steamboat ephemera and shared some of his great finds with steamboats.com! History is constantly disappearing, so we all need to do our part to save a as much history as we can for future generation. In that spirit, we want to share one of Andrew's great finds: a 1909 brochure for the steamers on Lake George. 
Eastern Kentucky Floods July 31, 2022 Steamboats.com sends our sympathies for the families affected by the horrific floods in Kentucky. We are in this together as a union of states. Hang on, better times will come. Latest News from Kimmswick June 24, 2022 Cory Schuh, deputy director of the Jefferson County Port Authority, Kimmswick city officials, and the Kimmswick Historical Society are working to restore Kimmswick's history as a hub of paddle wheel steamboat activity. The American Queen and other paddle wheel boats have committed to stopping in Kimmswick more often. The owners of the Delta Queen Steamboat are also expected to make Kimmswick their home port. Congratulations to Kimmswick for keeping history alive. To read the full article, click here: myleaderpaper.com 60th Great Steamboat Race: Controversial Outcome May 9, 2022 Three boats competed, but only the Belle of Louisville is a genuine steam-powered boat. Thus, even though the Belle crossed the finish line last, the judges declared her the winner. There will be no recount. The silver antlers remain with the Belle of Louisville. Two other boats, the Belle of Cincinnati and the American Countess, competed. Here at the Steamboats.com editorial room, we believe somebody should have warned these boats their lack of steam boilers would disqualify them from winning. According to Wave 3 News in Louisville, "Belle of Louisville Captain Mark Doty ordered the steamboat's cannon to fire around 6 p.m. Wednesday, signaling the start of this year's celebration." It's almost like he knew they would win before the race even started. See video and article here: wave3.com. For anybody who is upset with this outcome, donate generously to the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Only by bringing the Delta Queen back to the rivers can you defeat the Belle of Louisville! Frankly, we love all the boats, and are grateful for their participation. However we are secretly in favor of the judges' decision to award the silver antlers to the Belle of Louisville. Please don't tell anybody!! 
Editor's note: these are screen shots from the Wave 3 News coverage. Note (above) not every steamboat had a cannon, but the Belle of Louisville has a working cannon. Another reason they deserved to win (watch out). Also (below) look at that paddle wheel thumping - no computer parts needed. 
Steamboat Race - May 4, 2022 Tickets now available for the Chaser Boat for the Great Steamboat Race! 
A message from the good people of the Belle of Louisville: Join us aboard the Mary M. Miller to watch our favorite Kentucky Derby Festival tradition . . . the Great Steamboat Race! Onboard the Mary, you'll be treated to the race's best spectator view as we chase the Belle of Louisville, the Belle of Cincinnati and the American Countess as they race up the Ohio River. Guests aboard the Mary M. Miller will enjoy a delicious build your own burger bar during this two and a half-hour excursion. This event on May 4th boards at 5 P.M. and runs from 5:30-8:00 P.M. Tickets are $62.50 for adults (15-64) and seniors and $31.50 for children (5-14); free for children ages 4 & under. To view the menu and purchase tickets, click here - Belle of Louisville Special Events. 
Get your May 4 tickets to follow the steamboat race onboard the Mary M. Miller! Ancestry: Valentine Livingston St. Ceran, Captain of the Steamboat Maggie February 28, 2022 Enclosed below is an ancestry story of Valentine Livingston St. Ceran, written, documented, and submitted by Adam Selino. Hello, I stumbled across your steamboat archive and would like to pass along info regarding an ancestor of mine. Adam Valentine Livingston St. Ceran (1825-1908) was the captain of the steamboat "Maggie" from at least 1868 to 1871, replacing it by 1872 with another steamboat named "Favorite", which operated from at least 1872-1874. Newspapers show his steamboats constantly arriving and departing from the greater New Orleans area with cargo. Attached to this email are a few newspaper clippings and a photo Tulane University claims is the Maggie along the Ohio River near Moscow, OH, with the hills of Kentucky in the background. The last newspaper clipping is an advertisement posted in 1873 for the steamboat Favorite. In the advertisement, St Ceran refers to the Favorite as a "fine passenger steamer", though every newspaper mention I can find of the Maggie or the Favorite is about it transporting lumber, shingles, cotton, and similar goods. Another oddity is that the first mention of the Maggie in any newspaper refers to it as "propeller Maggie, in tow of steamship Texas". Every clipping afterwards always described it as a steamer. Here's a bit more info about St Ceran: Captain Valentine St Ceran was born in Bborder="1" altimore in 1825, where he was raised and learned the trade skills of a mechanic and blacksmith. Shortly after completing his education he moved to New Orleans and began work repairing steamboats and various engines. Throughout the 1850's he also served as a state tax collector for Louisiana. By 1865 he had become the proud owner of his own steamboat, the Maggie. The Maggie travelled all around the greater New Orleans area, skimming the Mississippi coastline and, of course, up the Mississippi River. By 1872, the Maggie was replaced by the Favorite, which he operated for several more years. He later gave up his career on the river, returning to work as a skilled mechanic to help build the Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, the longest railway bridge in the US. He also dabbled as an electrician, helping to wire the United States Custom House in New Orleans. In 1908, Captain Valentine St. Ceran fell ill after taking his daily stroll on a particularly dreary day. A week later he succumbed to pneumonia, at age 83. According to his obituary, at the time he was "one of the oldest and best known residents" of New Orleans, and his death came as "a shock to a large circle of people". 
The newspaper clippings are a bit hard to read, so I've included three edited clippings that I think should be much easier to read, and are the more interesting of the bunch anyways; two being advertisements and another being a receipt of freight delivered by the Maggie. Below, I've included transcripts for each of these. The Daily Picayune Friday Morning, June 16, 1865 AWAY FOR BILOXI! It will be seen by the advertisement of the agent, Mr. Charles W. Lewis, 186 Gravier street, that the staunch sea-going steamer Maggie, Capt. V. St. Ceran, has been put into the trade between here (New Orleans) and Biloxi. She will run in the daylight so as to give all a sight of the coast and continual breathing of the fresh air, and she will touch at Pilot Tower, Cat Island, Ship Island, Bay St. Louis, etc. For freight or passage apply to Mr Lewis, 186 Gravier street. The Daily Picayune Tuesday Morning, March 9, 1869 ARRIVALS AT THE OLD BASIN Steamers Maggie, St Ceran, from Georgetown RECEIPTS AT THE NEW BASIN COVINGTON (Pearl River) -- Steamer Maggie -- 108 bales cotton to Warren, Crawford & co -- 72 to Aleus, Scherk & Autey -- 46 to SH Aby & co -- 21 to M Musson & co -- 13 to Lehman, Newgass & co -- 8 to Ben Gerson -- 3 to Jno F Hardie & co -- 4 half barrels molasses to J Bloom & co -- 44 barrels tar master(?) - sundries to order -- Total 271 bales cotton. The New Orleans Times Tuesday, February 11, 1873 AMITE RIVER Leaves on Tuesday, 11th inst., at 4 p.m. For Amite River and Bayou Manchac -- The fine passenger steamer FAVORITE, Captain Val. St. Ceran, Julia street side New Basin, will leave as above for Black Bayou, Port Vincent, Governor's Bluff, and all landings on Amite River. For freight or passage apply on board or to WM DAMEWOOD & CO, Agents, 41 Carondelet Street 2022 Steamboat Calendars Now Available December 14, 2021 "Little Boats on Little Rivers" For 2022 we revisit scale model sternwheelers, which was the theme for our 2005 calendar. Steam and diesel models are featured in great detail. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED ! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and color throughout! Each month features a specific scale model boat along with related information, and a complete calendar page with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2022 include: IDLEWILD PRINCESS DUNCAN BRUCE RAINBOW OHIO VALLEY SUNSHINE W. E. PULLEM CHICOT FAR WEST VIRGINIA LEE CHAPERON THOMAS A. EDISON WILD GOOSE The 2022 calendar marks our 21st year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: www.draftware.com/calendar Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: 
Latest News and Photos from the Delta Queen Steamboat Company November 2, 2021 Editor's note: The following news and photos are from the Delta Queen Steamboat Company's Facebook page, posted September 15 (Facebook)  HURRICANE IDA UPDATE: On August 29th the Delta Queen was unfortunately impacted by a direct hit from Hurricane Ida at her mooring in Houma, Louisiana. Despite being subjected to winds in excess of 150 mph for over an hour, the Delta Queen did not suffer any major structural damage. However, the waterproofing membrane on the roof of the vessel was ripped away, along with several sections of handrail along the stern (rear) of the vessel. Several doors were damaged and about a dozen windows were broken. In the process, the shore power connections providing electricity to the Delta Queen were destroyed and the boarding stage heavily damaged. Our security team that rode out the storm did a fantastic job and we certainly appreciate their efforts. They are still onboard 24/7, even in the heat and these difficult conditions to protect the Queen. All things considered; the Delta Queen held up very well, especially when compared to adjacent structures in the area. She is a true testimony to the quality craftsmanship of her builders over 90 years ago. We have engaged marine surveyors to complete a detailed damage assessment and repair plan which isn't expected to be complete for several more weeks. The immediate concern to address at this point is sealing up the exterior of the vessel with a new roof. We are already working with insurance and an installation contractor to install the new roof as soon as possible to prevent any further water damage to the interior. The pictures attached here were taken this past weekend as crews worked diligently to clear the roof of any debris and get heavy plastic tarps in place to provide a temporary seal. The owners of the Delta Queen are thankful for all of the concern and outpouring of support from her many fans. We remain 100% committed to the long-term preservation of the Delta Queen and are continuing our efforts to re-secure the funding necessary for a full renovation and return to service. #FullSteamAhead 
Delta Queen Steamboat Damaged in Hurricane Ida September 16, 2021 The Delta Queen was under the eye of Hurricane Ida August 29 and sustained damage. According to the article below, The waterproofing membrane on the roof of the vessel was ripped away, along with several sections of handrail. Several doors were damaged and about a dozen windows were broken, according to the company. In the process, the shore power connections providing electricity to the Delta Queen were destroyed and the boarding stage heavily damaged.Read the article for more information: local12.com. We are deeply saddened and await more news of repairs. Opinion Queen City Waterfront Needs a Mark Twain Riverboat August 18, 2021 Cincinnati is considering two bids to bring their waterfront to life. One idea is to add a retired casino boat from Dubuque, Iowa, and turn it into a hotel, restaurant, event center. Here at steamboats.com, we think this is the best choice. First, there are so many grand boats that need good homes. Second, Cincinnati had the Delta Queen Steamboat on their waterfront for decades, and it was an iconic symbol for their city. The Delta Queen still bears a plaque on the bow that says "Port of Cincinnati." A paddle wheel boat could bring people together and provide a sense of identity for every true Cincinnatian. Here's the story: wcpo.com American Queen Returns to the Rivers August 11, 2021 The American Queen Steamboat Company started the 2021 season on August 8, with an all-vaxxed crew and all-vaxxed passengers. This is the first cruise in eighteen months, due to the pandemic. We celebrate the return of the American Queen, the youngest of the three sisters of the Greene Line / Delta Queen Steamboat Company. The boats changed hands many times, and had a tragic break-up under Majestic America Line / Ambassador Cruise Line. When the company went into bankruptcy in 2009, they murdered the Mississippi Queen and abandoned the Delta Queen. The third and youngest sister, the American Queen, had a government loan, so the government took possession of the boat. They took good care of it and the Great American Steamboat Company, then headed by Jeff Krida, bought the American Queen for $15 million. The boat was in near-perfect condition thanks to the US government, and soon returned to the rivers. You can read the article here: cruisecritic.com. G. Dave Thomson March 31, 1946 - July 3, 2021 George David Thomson Jr. graduated from the California Institute of the Arts, CalArts, in 1968, then worked at Disney Studios in Burbank for twenty years. He ran the scene planning department for many years and worked with the animators on many Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. Following his time with Disney, he worked for Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, and Hyperion Studios. All told he was in the cameraman's union, the International Cinematographers Guild, for thirty years. After retiring in 2000, Dave threw himself into Mark Twain and paddle wheel steamboat history. He was a prolific collector of vintage steamboat photos, oil paintings, model boats, and other steamboat artifacts and paraphernalia. In January 2002 he contacted Nori Muster, web designer of Steamboats.com, and began to send her images and information to post at her website. The Dave Thomson Collection is comprised of 240 pages displaying 2,990 steamboat images. It is the largest collection of steamboat photos on the Internet. Over his twenty years as the primary contributor and historian for Steamboats.com, Dave answered hundreds of questions for people about their ancestry or a particular boat or captain they were researching. In addition, hundreds of people contacted the museum for permission to use Dave's images for book covers, museum exhibits, magazine articles, and other commercial use. Dave wrote all the captions for the steamboat jpgs he sent for the museum, and his writings now serve as a valuable bank of information. Losing Dave to medical complications is a loss for the entire steamboat community. He was one of the elders, and took an encyclopedia of history with him when he left. Sadly, it is a history that was already disappearing. Dave grew up in Palos Verdes, in Los Angeles County, California, and is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Darryl and Jerri Thomson. They will spread his ashes in San Pedro, nearby Palos Verdes where Dave and Darryl used to walk along the breakwater as kids. One final note from Nori Muster: In 2015, Dave and I had a telephone conversation about the museum and wandered into the subject of our spiritual beliefs. Neither of us were ultra-religious, but we both felt a connection to the numinous through steamboats. He said: "Worshiper of steamboats perhaps? I think we're onto the key to a positive afterlife where steamboats are our reward and compensation for rough times we experienced on planet earth." Visit the Dave Thomson Museum: steamboats.com/museum Dave's favorite songs: Dixie Lily, by Elton John (from the 1974 Caribou Album) On The Robert E. Lee, by Neil Diamond (from the 1980 motion picture soundtrack The Jazz Singer) Contact: Nori Muster, Steamboats.com author and web designer 480-275-7889 norimuster - at - gmail 
Dave Thomson in his river room with fellow steamboat enthusiast, Goldie Cat. Dave Thomson 1946-2021. Possible Inspiration for this Kiyoshi Ikezumi Work May 20, 2021 
Dear Steamboats.com, This is done by Kiyoshi Ikezumi who was a Japanese woodblock artist. I am trying to figure out if the boat is from Britain. It has an eagle under a crown with the date 1870. He would do prints from these time periods of cultural significance. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Best, Mark Labacz Steamboats.com Museum Historian Dave Thomson found an American boat that may have been the inspiration. The Red Wing (the earliest of several boats with the name) was a side wheeler from Brownsville, Pennsylvania (hull) and completed in Pittsburgh in 1870. It ran St. Louis to St. Paul for the Keokuk Northern Line until dismantled in about 1882. This photo of the Red Wing is in the Steamboats.com Museum collections*: Dave Thomson said, "It could have been inspired by this boat with '1870' on the paddlebox. But of course in the fun stylized version by Kiyoshi. The whole thing is abstracted and transformed into something brand new." 
Above, the Red Wing, ween with "1870" painted on the cover of the side wheel on the windward side of the boat. Below, detail of the artist's signature on the art piece: 
Editor's note: maybe the artist improvised the British decorations on the paddle box, or maybe the paddle box had decorations, but they're just hard to see, or may be faded in the photo we have of the boat. Does anybody have one of it when it was new (1870)? Kimmswick Updates May 17, 2021 Latest update - the Kimmswick port about ready to open. Read the whole article here: myleaderpaper.com May 11, 2021 update - St. Louis TV Channel 5, KSDLK, has some good news after Covid and floods "nearly wiped the town and it's festivals off the map": Kimmswick making comeback this Mother's Day! Mayor Phil Stang said Kimmswick is making inroads with riverboat companies, like the Delta Queen, to make Kimmswick a stop along their Mississippi River journey. The dock at the Kimmswick port is complete and they should be ready to receive riverboats this summer. Read more: ksdk.com April 17, 2021 update - Check the latest news on the progress in Kimmswick, future home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat! Also enclosed below is the new logo. mymoinfo.com 
Remembrance of the Sultana Disaster by Nori Muster, Steamboats.com editor April 7, 2021  The Sultana in 1865 Library of Congress The anniversary of the loss of the Sultana is coming up this month. The boat exploded on April 27, 1865, en route from Memphis to New Orleans with the loss of 1,547 lives. Of those who died 1,100 were Union soldiers returning North from Southern battlefields at the end of the Civil War. My great grandfather, John Muster*, spent most of the Civil War in Confederate prisions, including Andersonville. For many of us who have ancestors who fought in the Civil War, this was a terrible loss. Here at Steamboats.com, we received a letter from Dee Cody, whose great-great-great grandfather was on the Sultana when it exploded, but his life was spared. At Dee Cody's request, I will pass along the information she sent about the Sultana Association, dedicated to preserving the memory of the event, and those who lost their lives. The Sultana Association, formed in the late 1980s, holds an reunion ever April. Due to Covid, they postponed the reunion last year, but plan to hold the reunion on Zoom this month. Contact The Sultana Association (thesultanaassociation @ gmail.com) for more information about the event. More resources . . . The Sultana Association: Website thesultanaassociation.com Facebook facebook.com/TheSultanaAssociation Documentary: rememberthesultana.com Museum: sultanadisastermuseum.com Monument: tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org Wikipedia: Sultana_(steamboat) Civil War History: battlefields.org Books Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors, by Chester Berry (survivor of the disaster, published in 1829), University of Tennessee Press hardcover and paperback The Sultana Tragedy: America's Greatest Maritime Disaster, by Jerry O. Potter hardcover and ebook Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, by Gene Eric Salecker hardcover and ebook Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maratime Disaster in American History, by Alan Huffman paperback and ebook Life on the Delta Queen Steamboat - A New Memoir March 14, 2021 
Just out this year is Life on the Mississippi, 1969, by Dell Franklin, a storekeeper on the Delta Queen. He worked behind the scenes making menus with the chef, and ordering and stocking supplies for cruises. Check out his book - it will either take you back to the good old days or introduce you to a time when the Delta Queen Steamboat was cruising the rivers with abaondon. Description at Amazon: 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. Click here to see the book: Amazon Ripley Moves Ahead with Dock February 13, 2021 Ripley, Ohio, is raising funds to build a dock for the Delta Queen Steamboat and other large boats. The village is seventy miles east of Cincinnati on the eastern side of the Ohio River. To read the entire article, click here: newsdemocrat.com Ripley is known for its role in the Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century, and the location of the new dock will be in Freedom Park Landing. Lateset Good News from Kimmswick January 4, 2021 Waterways Journal reports: After many years of planning and delays due to high water, and many other issues, work has finally begun on a new excursion boat landing in Kimmswick, Mo.Read the whole article here: waterwaysjournal.net Happy New Year! New Museum Items! January 5, 2021 This week, our elves at the Steamboat Museum posted all the new items for your perusal! When there's time, we will place these in the permanent collection. Get 'em now! Putting them in their permanent spots will take place later this year. New photos, page 1 New photos, page 2 New ephemera, page 1 New ephemera, page 2 New movie photos New paintings and art New showboat photos and posters New model boats New illustrations New steamboat documents Recent Photos of the Delta Queen Steamboat December 31, 2020 Last evening, Patrick Doornbos posted 49 photos of the Delta Queen taken September 30, 2020. Here at steamboats.com we think the boat looks darn good for being tied up since 2008. 
See all 49 photos: Facebook We want to thank Patrick Doornbos for posting these, and thank Cornel Martin, head of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, for his words to rally support for the Queen as we merge into 2021. Cornel Martin said: I am sorry that so many are saddened and some are shocked at these photos. Many of you have asked why and even expressed anger that no one stepped up to save the Mississippi Queen. And now she is gone. Well, a few of us have stepped up to save the Delta Queen from suffering the same fate as the Mississippi Queen. Had the owners not bought the Delta Queen in 2015, she would be gone. We got the exemption through Congress after a nine year battle when so many had given up and said it would never happen. And yes, we had several resources who assured us that the funds to fully restore her would be available once the exemption was secured. Unfortunately during that nine year battle, some moved on to other investments, some suffered their own setbacks and some lost interest and faith in the project, but the owners never gave up. Immediately after buying the Delta Queen the owners had to spend $250,000 to move her from Chattanooga to Louisiana when the mayor of Chattanooga said the boat had to go. For nearly 6 years the owners have kept the boat safe with security personnel onboard 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have paid $15,000 to $20,000 on security insurance, rent and utilities every month since owning the Delta Queen. We have put together a budget with marine architects, marine surveyors and venders and developed a very detailed business plan as well as a very reliable repair and renovation plan. We have solid estimates on how much it will cost to replace the boilers, main steam line, generators, galley, sewerage system, HVAC, electrical work and to repair the superstructure, interior passenger and crew spaces and cabins, the hull and the paddle wheel. Over the last six years, the owners have spent over a hundred thousand dollars to make necessary repairs so that when full funding becomes available the Delta Queen is still viable and can be restored and returned to service. We have had about $84,000 in very generous donations since 2015 to help Save the Delta Queen, and to date, our owners have spent several million of their own dollars to keep the Delta Queen from the scrap yard. The owners will continue to keep the Delta Queen safe and dry as long as we are able, hopefully until we can find the $20+ million needed to fully restore the Delta Queen and return her to overnight river cruise service. That total includes full restoration, crew training and start up capital. COVID has interrupted our efforts to secure those funds, but we will not give up. To those who continue to support us, thank you! To those who are disappointed, all I can say is we are doing our very best to save this National Treasure. To read more comments, go to the Save the Delta Queen group at facebook (facebook.com/groups/Delta.Queen) New News from Cincinnati Waterfront December 24, 2020 A December 23 report on the Cincinnati waterfront reveals trouble in the river city. Here's an excerpt from the article: A month after Cincinnati's Board of Park Commissioners endorsed the idea of a no-bid contract for Queen City Riverboats to install a public boat dock at Cincinnati's Public Landing, Parks Director Kara Kish asked the city solicitor Tuesday to launch a formal bidding process for the marina's "construction and operation." Read the article: wcpo.com Latest News from Kimmswick December 15, 2020 Updates from Kimmswick, Missouri, the future home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat: Read the article: Kimmswick port construction has begun By Steve Taylor My Leader newspaper December 14, 2020 myleaderpaper.com Holiday Steamboat Shopping 2021 Steamboat Calendar - click here Belle of Louisville giftshop - click here (or scroll down) Support the Belle of Louisville Updated November 27, 2020 The Belle of Louisville is home for the winter, safe and sound. They want to encourage everyone to visit their gift store belleoflouisville.org/gift-shop for apparel, drinkware, accessories, paddle wheel wood art, membership, and gift cards. Or donate! Let's show our support for the Belle this year! 
October 28,2020 The Belle is up and out of the water! The Coast Guard is doing an inspection this morning and then maintenance and repairs will begin. You can help offset the cost of her preservation by making a donation! belleoflouisville.org/become-a-supporter/ Editor's note: this is routine maintenance, but in the time of COVID, our historic steamboats can use all the help they can get! New 2021 Sternwheel Wall Calendar Available! Back by popular demand, the 2021 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2021 include: GRACO PETE ATLAS EXPRESS DIXIE HELEN Z JANE RHEA KATHRYN DONALD B MARTHA E. GREENE VENUS S F.S.W. KEENE The 2021 calendar marks our 20th year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc., 41 Ems W32. North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: www.draftware.com/calendar Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: 
Editor's note: get one while they last! Steamboat calendars make great stocking stuffers! Kimmswick Port Back on Track August 30, 2020 Due to the pandemic, the fate of the Kimmswick marina was in doubt last spring.* However, things are back on track now. When completed, Kimmswick port will be the home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat. However, due to the pandemic and social distancing, work on the Delta Queen is moving along at a slower pace. Read the entire article for details: Kimmswick port project on track for 2020 By Steve Taylor myleaderpaper.com Editor's note: another update to the situation in Kimmswick - go to myleaderpaper.com 
One of my Steamboat Facebook friends challenged Biden supporters to post a yard sign. Here is my yard sign. I support equality of black and white, gay and straight, young and old, North and South, and a United States for all Americans. Tracking Steamboat History August 16, 2020 The River: Tracking down particulars of a certain riverboat calliope; answer may never be known, by Don Sanders, from his ongoing column in the Northern Kentucky Tribune: nkytribune.com Captain Wagner Painting July 16, 2020 
Jackie Smith recently completed this painting of Captain Ernest Wagner, one of the most beloved and respected steamboat captains of our era. She used a photo by Bill Muster, and colorized it to fine detail. We encourage everyone to contact Jackie to buy a copy of the painting: Jackie at Facebook.com. Delta Queen Watchman John Hartford Tribute Album June 16, 2020 From Rolling Stone: "A tribute album and an LP of unfinished Hartford instrumentals reflect new interest in the bluegrass picker, songwriter, and all-around Renaissance man." Article by David Browne: rollingstone.com Steamboats.com Supports #BlackLivesMatter by Nori Muster June 17, 2020 | updated Steamboats.com has always supported #BlackLivesMatter and we urge people to acknowledge the discrimination and violence white America has inflicted on Black Americans for four hundred years. We support removing monuments and statues, and updating names that refer to the Confederate era. Most of these monuments were erected during the Jim Crow era, into the 1970s. White people installed these monuments to threaten Black Americans in the twentieth century. The same goes for the Confederate flag, which also dates back to the Jim Crow years. Not everybody takes it that way, but if you do not understand the history of the symbol, consider not idolizing it. Better to identify with the pirates of history and fly a pirate flag. You don't need a to brandish a weapon - or weaponized symbol - to prove who you are. The swastika was adopted by Hitler as a symbol of Nazism during World War II, when America and Europe came together to fight back fascism in Europe. That war ended in 1945 and Europe stopped using the swastika. In America, the Civil War ended in 1865, but 155 years later, people cannot let it go. If Europe was still displaying the swastika at their official government sites for 155 years after WWII, that would go on until the year 2100. It's time for America to come to terms with its original sin of slavery and discrimination. It's time we accept one another as equal citizens here - and not just accept - but embrace our fellow Americans. It's way past time to end police brutality, so let's get more community services to create civility and solidarity in our cities and towns. When my father was president of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, he designated black officers to manage some boat operations. He told everybody if they hand a problem with it, he would pull the boat over to the shore and let them off. Paddle wheel steamboats were all around the world at one time, but Mark Twain made the Mississippi River famous for paddle wheel steamboats. It's a positive, appropriate symbol of the South and all of America. With a long line of artists, authors, and musicians from the South, steamboats are up there as positive symbols. Paddle wheel boats are known for settling the western territories before trains came along. They brought jazz to the North, and were a link in the Underground Railroad. Editor's Note: Today Quaker Oats announced they ended the Aunt Jemima line of foods, and it's about time. Our Steamboat Museum* has its Preston and Child Cabinet of Curiosities aspects. Who knows what mysteries are in there. As curator of the collection, I have blocked racist images, and also work to cull them out. If you find any, tell me*. Besides racist images in our collections, I would like to complain about social discrimination against workers. What makes people think the working class are automatically criminals? Like they are somehow trying to cheat the government, or like they don't deserve a living wage, or decent unemployment. Now, due to the pandemic, we realize the value of people who work for big companies at minimum, or near-minimum wages. Let's get it through our heads: all people are created equal. As Americans pledging to the flag since childhood, we realize equality for all is the basis of our beliefs. Everybody knows people who work for a living are usually the best people you will ever meet. Please stop attacking each other anonymously online or on the road, and be friendly to strangers. We reside in the home of the brave. Helping each other along the way is how we will keep our freedom. SOS Save our Steamboats May 4, 2020 If you have the means during this crisis, the Belle of Louisville could use your help. History does not save itself, especially at times like this. Like on an airplane, we recommend you put the mask on yourself first, then help others. If you are feeling suddenly financially insecure, just send your thoughts. But if you can manage it, send cash money to the Belle of Louisville. Every little bit will help, and doing something to help others during a crisis makes you feel good too. 
Belle of Louisville - mail your check with a friendly positive note: Belle of Louisville, 401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202, or visit on line to send your positive thoughts: belleoflouisville.org Kimmswick Update April 1, 2020 My Leader paper, out of Festus, Missouri, has an update on the town of Kimmswick, home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat. The article by Tony Krausz appeared March 28, 2020. He said in part: Kimmswick, Jefferson County's main tourist destination, is bracing itself for harsh economic repercussions because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. "I really don't know where we are going," Kimmswick Mayor Phil Stang said. . . . . Steamboats.com will keep Kimmswick and the Delta Queen Steamboat in our thoughts during this pandemic. New! Stories By Jerry Canavit February 26, 2020 Read the Confessions of a Steamboat Addict - now at Steamboats.com. Jerry Canavit grew up with paddle wheel steamboats and tells all. Close to twenty of his stories now posted. Go to: Steamboat Stories. 
The winning boat in our Parde of Lights. Best holiday wishes from Steamboats.com! Delta Queen in the News December 12, 2019 The Delta Queen received Coast Guard approval while it undergoes renovation and updates to prepare the boat to go back into service as early as 2020. Read more: Minnesota Post Bulletin. Editor's note: not sure why the caption to the photo says, "The Delta Queen may return to the Mississippi River once it receives a federal exemption to a passenger limit on wooden boats." The Senate passed the Save the Delta Queen bill November 14, 2018, the House passed it November 27, 2018, and the president signed it December 4, 2018. 2020 Delta Queen Calendars! November 14, 2019 Get your 2020 Delta Queen calendar!! On Nov 11, 2019, at 11:26 PM, John Weise wrote: My new 2020 Delta Queen Calendar will be going to print shortly. Get your order in so I can get enough of them printed. This is the 13th year in a row that it has been published! The photos were taken between 1998 & 2008. The price of the calendar $15 remains the same. The price of mailing an individual calendar has increased to $4 or two calendars for $5. 
You can reach me at 513-3852381 in Cincinnati Or by e-mail - click here - jrweise @ fuse.net Or by snail mail: John Weise 5552 Dry Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45252-1800 2020 Sternwheel Wall Calendar is Available! December 22, 2019 
Back by popular demand, the 2020 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2020 include: ROSIE R RANGER GUY L LAURA H DUKE PATRICK GASS B. D. RAIKE LOUISE HANOVER NEW LOTUS EMMA JOHN C. IRWIN READY The 2020 calendar marks our 19th year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: draftware.com/calendar Remembrance of Lewis Verduyn October 10, 2019 On Oct 6, 2019, at 8:26 PM, David Thomson wrote: I had not heard from New Zealander Lewis Verduyn in quite a while. His site Steamboat Times is a great resource and I hope that it will continue to be available online since his passing. An intuition on my part led me to search for him online today and I was shocked and deeply saddened to discover that he passed on at age 60 on the 21st of August 2019. A ceremony to scatter his ashes in his beloved Clutha River occurred (yesterday) the 5th of October, 2019. steamboattimes.com Lewis was a wonderful correspondent and his e-mails were always full of tales of his life, times and many adventures as a river rafter and conservationist. I will miss him and wish that we had met in person. Message from Lewis 23rd December 2018: Hello Dave, OBITUARY Lewis VERDUYN Published in Southland Times from Aug. 21 to Aug. 24, 2019 Sadly Lewis passed away at his home in Luggate; aged 60 years. Much loved youngest son of Catherine and the late Jacob, loved brother of the late Roger, a much loved nephew, uncle, and cousin of all his family in New Zealand and Holland. In accordance with family's wishes a private cremation has been held. Memorial service for Lewis Verduyn was held at 2.00 pm Saturday 5th of October 2019 The memorial will be in order to pay tribute to the life of a friend, teacher and visionary. Lewis' ashes will be scattered at the river and there will be anvopportunity for those who knew him to say some words. Bring a cup for Manuka Tea. Red Bridge River Park Charitable Trust We are fundraising to create and maintain a river park and native recovery centre at the Luggate Red Bridge near Wanaka. The Clutja Mata-Au River Parkway Group, New Zealand, was formed in October 2003 in response to land development issues along the Clutha Mata-Au River corridor, much of which has high scenic and recreational values. The project aimed to establish a regional river parkway, including a river trail, along the entire 338 km river corridor from Lake Wanaka to the Pacific Ocean. The project was initiated by Lewis Verduyn, a rafting operator on the Upper Clutha Mata-Au who has rafted the river since 1981. Lewis became Chairperson of the project and was known as an advocate for river protection and conservation. Rafter Clyde For Sale August 12, 2019 Here's a description of the boat from Captain Don Sanders: Fifty-three by thirteen-foot authentic stern hydraulic paddle wheeler. Powered by 35 HP Kubota, four-cylinder diesel engine. Full galley, Captain's Quarters and Pilot Bunk. Full bathroom (head) with toilet, shower, and sink. Holding tank. for black water. Potable water tank plus three diesel full fuel tanks and one hydraulic oil tank. New Bow Thruster Tunnel installed last year. Bottom prepped and coated with coal tar epoxy and four coats on Bar-Rust 235 two-part epoxy bottom paint. Marine hull survey completed, June 2018. The CLYDE is on the Middle Ohio River and is accessible to all points wherever the rivers flow. Will consider any and all reasonable offers. Contact the Captain at - RafterClyde @ yahoo.com Listing on boatcrazy.com. Nine-thousand photos of the CLYDE are on facebook.com/rafter.clyde.steamboat My phone # is: 859-445-8912. The first cal anyone will likely need to leave a voice mail. 
Editor's Note: Find more about Rafter Clyde at this site: Steamboat Museum. Footage of Gordon C. Greene Cruise Emerges August 5, 2019 Our thanks to Shawn Douglass for unearthing this rare 8 mm footage of a steamboat cruise aboard the Gordon C. Greene. Shawn located the footage while going through his grandfather's home movies, then shared it with Steamboats.com and Steamboats.org. He also posted it on Youtube and asked that we share it! Enjoy. 
Youtube 
Grieving today for the victims and their loved ones in El Paso and Dayton. Fight hate speech with love. Ban civilian use of military weaponry. Delta Queen in the News July 4, 2019 The Delta Queen Steamboat was in the news again - two days in a row! "The Delta Queen Will Set Sail Once Again in 2020," by Mackenzie Manley, came out July 2 in Cincinnati's City Beat. The story includes quotes from Phillip Johnson, who along with Cornel Martin and Leah Ann Ingram, make up the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Read the article: citybeat.com.  Happy Fourth of July!
Preservation News: Delta Queen Steamboat Saved and Safe July 1, 2019 Today Preservation in Mississippi highlighted a recent article about the Delta Queen Steamboat with updates. Read the articles here: Delta Queen Coming Back to the River By Elmal Vaney, July 1, 2019 misspreservation.com Saved and Safe, Beloved Steamboat Looks Forward to 2020 Launch By Carson Bear, May 9, 2019 savingplaces.org New Exhibit at Steamboats Online Museum June 28, 2019 Learn all about the history of the sternwheelers of Freedomland USA, a theme park in The Bronx, 1960-1964. Our thanks to Mike Virgintino for sending history and photos from his collection! Click here to see the exhibit: Freedomland at Steamboats.com. New Twist to a Classic Delta Queen Logo June 15, 2019 
Warren Stitchtenoth created the logo for the Delta Queen Steamboat in the 1960s. Tie dye added at Steamboats.com - just for fun. Craig Stitchtenoth said (August 14, 2019): "If you look in the DQ photo album in the gallery*, you will see all sorts of examples of the logo used in many different ways. It borders on crazy." Delta Queen Steamboat in the News May 7, 2019 The National Trust for Historic Places published a great article about the Delta Queen, including her history, and the successful effort to get the Congressional exemption reinstated. The article said,
Read the whole story: 
savingplaces.org Old Town Sacramento in History January 12, 2019 Editor's note: we recently heard from KV Bunker, who recognized these photos were taken near Old Town Sacramento. I've traveled there many times to stay on the Delta King Steamboat Hotel - but never picked up the connection. On Dec 11, 2018, at 6:44 PM, KV Bunker wrote:Editor's Note: the woman river captain was Mary Greene, see: Mary Greene at Steamboats.com Cincinnati is selling the Showboat Majestic, a National Historic Landmark January 12, 2019 If you are interested in this boat, read more: cincinnati.com 
The 2019 calendars are here! Click here for historic stern wheel towboats Click here for Delta Queen 
The Senate passed the Save the Delta Queen bill November 14, the House passed it November 27, and the president signed it December 4, 2019. Official statement by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company: deltaqueen.com Media coverage: rypn.org/forums/ • whig.com • boards.cruisecritic.com • m.arktimes.com • arkansasonline.com • morningjournalnews.com • waterwaysjournal.net • waterwaysjournal.net-editorial • • pressfrom.info • maritime-executive.com • mydailysentinel.com • chattanoogan.com • cincinnati.com • krcgtv.com • savingplaces.org (1) • savingplaces.org (2) • RailwayPreservationNews rypn.org • nzherald.co.nz • newslocker.com • topix.com • arkansasonline.com • mlmcounties.com • workboat.com • wlwt.com • mprnews.org • abcnews.go.com • kplr11.com • bedfordgazette.com • twincities.com (1) • twincities.com (2) • maritime-executive.com • journaltimes.com • natchezdemocrat.com • startribune.com • newstral.com • fresnobee.com • napavalleyregister.com • startribune.com • paducahsun.com • apnews.com • arktimes.com • mlmcounties.com • nola.com • kzimksim.com • wizmnews.com • stltoday.com • arktimes.com • kstp.com • kentucky.com • nkytribune.com • wbrz.com • newschamber.com • mvskiran.me • foreignaffairs.co.nz • mysanantonio.com • madisoncourier.com • rypn.org • marinelink.com 2019 Sternwheel Wall Calendar is Available! December 5, 2018 
Back by popular demand, the 2019 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2019 include: MILDRED No. 2 PATSY MAC HELPER HARRY RAIKE MAE BELLE LIBERTY (and AMERICA showboat) INDIAN JOE S DOT JEAN HORNET PROSPERITY The 2019 calendar marks our 18th year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: draftware.com/calendar Editor's note: we are pleased to offer the Sternwheel towboat calendar featuring historic boats (above) and the Delta Queen calendar, below. 2019 Delta Queen Calendar Now Available December 1, 2018 
On Nov 29, 2018, John Weise wrote: My new 2019 Delta Queen Calendar is back from the printer. Get your order in as soon as possible to fully celebrate the 2018 exemption! This is the twelfth year in a row that it has been published! The photos were taken between 1989 & 2008. The price of the calendar $15 remains the same. The price of mailing an individual calendar is $3 or two calendars for $4. You can reach me at 513-385-2381 in Cincinnati Or by e-mail - click here @ jrweise @ fuse.net Or by snail mail: John Weise 5552 Dry Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45252-1800 Editor's note: We thank John Weise for his dedication to the Delta Queen, and to his photography of all paddle wheel riverboats that pass through Cincinnati, one of the great Steamboatlandia cities. All photos by John Weise. We urge you to place your order soon, since his calendars sell out every year. Call Your US Rep. Today for the Delta Queen November 26, 2018 Tomorrow will be a historic vote for the Delta Queen Steamboat. As your US Representative to vote YES on the Coast Guard Authorization bill, S 140, which includes provisions for the Delta Queen. The bill passed the Senate last week. Following is a press release from the Delta Caucus: "Delta Queen Movement on the Verge of Historic Victory—Contact US House for Delta Queen Bill Set for Vote tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 27" Good news Steamboat Delta Queen November 15, 2018 Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed the Coast Guard bill, including provisions for rescuing the Delta Queen. Following is a statement from the Delta Queen Steamboat Company: Today we're one step closer to returning the legendary DELTA QUEEN back to America's rivers with the passage of the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill passed in the U.S. Senate today. Special thanks to the tireless efforts by Senators Blunt and McCaskill for making this happen!Following is a statement from Senator Roy Blunt: blunt.senate.gov Nov 14 2018 Blunt-McCaskill Bill to Get Historic Delta Queen Back on the Mississippi Cruises Through Senate WASHINGTON - Missouri Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill today announced that their legislation to bring the historic 1920's riverboat Delta Queen back to the Mississippi River passed the Senate as part of the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill. The legislation reinstates a decades-long exemption to allow the boat to operate from its new home port of Kimmswick, in Jefferson County - creating jobs and strengthening economic growth and tourism. The Coast Guard Reauthorization bill now heads to the House and, if passed, will be on its way to the president's desk. "I'm thrilled the Delta Queen is another step closer to making its way back to Missouri and once again cruising the Mississippi," said Blunt. "Getting the Delta Queen, one of our National Historic Landmarks, back in full operation will create jobs, boost economic growth, and strengthen our state's tourism industry. I'm grateful to all those involved in helping to bring the Delta Queen back to our state and look forward to seeing it at its home port in Kimmswick." "We're finally full steam ahead to get the Delta Queen back home to the St. Louis region where she belongs," said McCaskill. "Buoyed by bipartisan support, her return means tourists up and down the Mississippi can once again enjoy the rich history of one of our historic landmarks, and will give Jefferson County an infusion of jobs and economic growth." According to the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation, returning the Delta Queen to the St. Louis area will create more than 170 local jobs. The Delta Queen is expected to begin and end a number of its cruises each year in Kimmswick, and will visit more than 80 other ports in the United States. Built in the 1920s, the Delta Queen is an historic, wooden American steamboat that carried dignitaries (including three U.S. Presidents) and thousands of other passengers through the tributaries of the Mississippi River. The boat also served as a naval ship during World War II. For more than 40 years, the Delta Queen was exempted from a law passed by Congress regulating passenger vessels carrying 50 or more passengers overnight on domestic U.S. waters. That exemption expired in 2008. The bill passed by the Senate today restores the long-running exemption and requires the Delta Queen, which is fully compliant with all other Coast Guard safety regulations, to annually modify at least ten percent of the wooden portions of the vessel's superstructure to comply with the federal safety law requirements. The Delta Queen is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is classified as a National Historic Landmark. In 2013, it was designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. More articles: hannibal.net • rollcall.com (caution: Roll Call dislikes the Delta Queen and this articles contains anti-Delta Queen lies) • stltoday.com • kfvs12.com • phelpscountyfocus.com • waterwaysjournal.net • ualrpublicradio.org • nwaonline.com • arkansasonline.com S.S. Columbia Event DATE AND TIME Tue, October 23, 2018 7-10 PM EDT LOCATION Montauk Club, 25 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217 This October, the SS Columbia Project is hosting its Fall Supper Soiree at Brooklyn's Montauk Club, gathering together to celebrate the season. A limited number of discounted Early Bird tickets are on sale now for $125 a ticket. Included in the price of ticket are dinner, an open bar, and live vintage jazz with Jason Prover and the Sneak Thievery Quartet. Don't miss this very special evening supporting the restoration of SS Columbia at the beautiful and historic Montauk Club. This is certain to sell out, so order your tickets now! click here for tickets - eventbrite.com SS Columbia is the oldest remaining excursion steamboat in the United States, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, designated as an historic landmark in 1992, and in service from 1902 to 1991. Our goal is to bring her to the Hudson River and revive the grand old tradition of steamboats on the Hudson. Here, she will become a moving historic and cultural venue. 
The Montauk Club. P.S. Ryde Trust Help Save the P.S. Ryde August 28, 2018 You can help get the word out on the work to save this venerable British steamship built in 1937. Sorry, no wheel, but let's be fair! All steam vessels deserve preservation. Saving the past makes the present and future richer. Go to the P.S. Ryde Trust website to learn the history of this ship, and the contemporary efforts to save her. From the timeline: P.S Ryde 2018 - ??Go to the site: psrydetrust.co.uk Hidden Paddle wheel History July 27, 2018 Hi - Great website. My granddad lived most all his life on the Mississippi in Burlington, Iowa, and I just developed an interest in the rivers and what all took place on them in this country. I've been involved with the mining industry in the U.S. for over 40 years now and yes taking a little time to stop by all the museums out there is very fun. Best regards, Grant B. Editor's note: Grant found evidence of a long-gone paddle wheel boat in Utah. The Cliff Dweller is remembered in the Powell Museum. To learn more about the Cliff Dweller, visit the Powell Museum - powellmuseum.org, and there's a photo of a model of the boat at this blog: southwestbrowneyes.com.  Photo from southwestsbrowneyes.com. The model display offers the following history of the Cliff Dweller: Stripping off the "City of Moah's" cumbersome superstructure and converting her to a stern-wheeler steamboat, Lumsden renamed his boat the "Cliff Dweller" in 1906 and turned to the tourist trade. She proved no more successful, however, so she was taken to Great Salt Lake the following year.BOAT #2 - Grant found memories of another long-deceased paddle wheeler, the Bertrand, on display at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge fws.gov. 
Model of the Bertrand and artifacts recovered from the boat. Note: The kerosene lamps were all recovered from the wreck of the Bertrand on Missouri River between Iowa and Nebraska. To learn more about the artifacts excavated from the Bertrand, go here: fws.gov The River, by Don Sanders June 29, 2018 Ever since last December, the Northern Kentucky Tribune has carried a weekly installment from Don Sanders' memoir of his life on the river. Now, with express permission from the NKyTribune, the series is archived at Steamboats.com. click here to read The River. The NKyTribune said: Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a "machine" and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride—the river never looked so good. The series is ongoing, so Steamboats.com will collect Don's river stories for our archive. Elinor Steamboat May 15, 2018 One of our readers sent this photo, given to her by her aunt. It's the Towboat Elinor, built in 1905, and worked in the St. Paul area. We could not find any additional information. We're looking for information about the Elinor, including where this photo may have been taken. If you can help, please contact Steamboats.com.* We will pass the information along to Bonnie. 
Steamboats.com received an immediate reply from the Howard Steamboat Museum and sent the information along to Bonnie: On May 17, 2018, at 2:12 PM, howardsteamboatmuseum.org wrote: Nori, The "ELINOR" towboat in the picture on your website answered a question for us this afternoon at the Museum. We have a picture of her bow showing alongside an ACOE Maneuver Boat on the ways at the Howard Yard. We didn't know the date. After further investigation we determined the boat in our picture is your ELINOR. Further, we found records to indicate she was at Howards in 1924 where she received a new steel hull. She was built in Jeffersonville in 1904. Not by the Howards. Probably the Sweeney or Barmore yard built her. Her home port was Rock Island, IL and she was owned by the Corps of Engineers. The Corps sold her in 1940 and she was moved to Vicksburg, MS where she ran for several more years till scrapped. Travis C. Vasconcelos Administrative Assistant 
1101 East Market Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47130 (812) 283.3728 Website: howardsteamboatmuseum.org 2002 Steamboat Logo February 19, 2018 Back in 2002, my mentor for building websites made this graphic for me in Flash. We never did anything with it, then after that it was lost on a disk for sixteen years. The other day while loading up a new hard drive, and tossing out old CD-Rom disks, the thing turned up! It brought back fun memories - and now it's online just for fun. 
Here's a screen shot. The original is not working - hope to have it back soon. 
Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate Reviewed by Nori Muster This novel tells the haunting tale of five children who grew up in the Depression era on a shantyboat near Memphis. The Foss family was poor, but their parents made it work, and provided love and a feeling of security to the children. However, one night when the parents needed to rush to the hospital to welcome another baby, authorities kidnapped the children and put them in an orphanage. The oldest of the children, twelve-year-old Rill Foss, tells the story of the children's journey. The Tennessee Children's Home Society included strict and cruel caretakers, and child abuse. My own father was orphaned in 1934 and spent part of his ninth year in an abusive Chicago orphanage. His older half-brother rescued him and got him into a better situation in a foster agency. Although my father had aunts and uncles on both sides, during the Great Depression, people were not looking for more children to support. The painful history of Rill and her siblings is beautifully told. In alternate chapters, we meet Avery Stafford, a woman who lives in current times. She's born into a rich Southern family and her father is a politician in the midst of a re-election campaign. Avery expects she will follow in her father's footsteps. She takes up temporary residence with her parents in Aiken, South Carolina, to help her father through a health crisis. While there, Avery strikes up an unlikely friendship with May Crandall, an elderly woman who has a mysterious connection with Avery's grandmother. Further, Avery has a connection to the Depression Era orphans that comes to light at the end of the novel. The fun is in the pursuit of the truth, which Avery pursues with a local man who inherited all the secrets from his father, a private investigator who "finds people." The book is a matter of finding identity, holding onto identity, and realizing roots are precious, and truth is sometimes hard to bear. Due to her privileged background, Avery looks down on poor folks who grow up on shantyboats, and cannot exactly accept that her own roots may be much different than she was led to believe growing up. While on the track for the truth, she comes to realize she is torn over whether she really wants to know the truth. The novel is based on a true story, a story shared by many who grew up as orphans during the Depression Era. The author, Lisa Wingate, is a masterful storyteller with more than twenty novels to her credit, and multiple awards. She says the history of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society inspired Before We Were Yours. She explains, I wasn't familiar with the scandal surrounding the TCHS orphan houses of the 30's and 40's, but after stumbling across the story, I was shocked and horrified that such a thing was possible in this country and not that long ago. I wanted to tell the stories that hadn't been told - those of the thousands of children who became caught in Georgia Tann's web. I did travel for research. Visits to Memphis were invaluable, as was spending time at Mud Island and along the river, learning about the life Rill and her siblings would have lived on the family's shantyboat before they're taken to the TCHS orphan house. We also thank Lisa Wingate for contacting us during her historical research, and we were glad to share pictures of shantyboats at this site in the Dave Thomson Collection. Selected Mississippi Queen Blueprints Now Online January 24, 2018 For years I had a link to a set of 253 Mississippi Queen blueprints (now offline: http://www.zenreproplanroom.com/). These were the real thing. At the time, I got the impression they wouldn't be there forever, so I made copies. After the link died, I received the following request: On Apr 6, 2017, at 4:40 PM, AE wrote: Ms. Muster, I would like to inquire about the blueprints of the MQ. Would it be possible for me to get a hard copy or digital copy of the plans? The MQ has a special place in my heart. I was seven when I witnessed her first arrival and commissioning at Cincinnati in 1976. So sad that she's gone. Do you know what eventually became of her hull? Thank you! Anthony Eichhorn Unable to email the large files, I eventually sent him a disk. In exchange, he promised to go through the blueprints and choose the best ones to post at the site. About a month ago he sent me his choices, and now they're posted! Click here to see selected blueprints of the Mississippi Queen. 2018 Steamboat Calendars are Here Make 2018 a steamboat calendar year! Two available: Delta Queen - click here & Sternwheel Towboats - click here or scroll down Mississippi Queen Memories December 29, 2017 Earlier this week on Facebook, Travis Vasconcelos posted several photos from the Mississippi Queen Steamboat's first trial run. The first leg was down the river, which went fine. I arrived in time for part two - going back up the river to Cincinnati with the help of a towboat. One of the photos from Travis is this one of my dad and Betty Blake. Dad was just two weeks into his fiftieth year at the time. 
Betty Blake and Bill Muster on the starboard wing of the bridge, Fourth of July, 1976, during the first voyage of the Mississippi Queen Steamboat. To access the Mississippi Queen Steamboat page at this site - click here. Ask Your US Representative to Save the Delta Queen Steamboat December 12, 2017 A new article in the Louisiana Weekly outlines the continuing struggle to pass HR 619 in the House and save the Delta Queen Steamboat. As the article reports, American Cruise Line owner Charles Robertson is lobbying against the Delta Queen bill. It's difficult to understand why a two hundred passenger ship poses any threat to his company, which is building multiple gigantic cruise ships for the Mississippi River system. Rather than fight the Delta Queen, Robertson would be better off to embrace the historic steamboat that will draw positive attention to river cruises on the Mississippi. Read the article, then ask your US Representative to call for a vote on HR 619. Read now: louisianaweekly.com Model Photos December 4, 2017 Photos from John Fryant show one folk art model and one that's a scale model of a real boat. Here at Steamboats.com we love 'em all! 
The Queen City folk model. 
The Betsy Ann scale model. About this site * older posts * steamboat museum * Delta Queen history * research library * gift shop * contact web designer |
