Alter Marine Has Been Sold !

Marquette Transportation Co. LLC will take over Alter Barge Line, Azalea Fleet and Blackhawk Fleet whenever the boats and barges are inspected and the paperwork has been completed, probably at the end of October. Marquette has indicated that it wants to hire all of the Alter personnel, so no jobs will be lost.
Alter began operations in May 1960 when it purchased the 760 hp. towboat KEYSTONE from Dravo Corporation and changed the name to FRANK R. ALTER. The company, then known as Alter Company, began towing scrap from Davenport and upper Mississippi terminals to Pittsburgh.

Alter Umbrella

Alter's chief architect, the late Bernard Golstein, was the originator of "riverboat gambling" with the DIAMOND and EMERALD Ladies under the umbrella of Steamboat Casino Cruises.Bernie also built the GOLDEN LADY for the Natchez trade, but the GL never operated under that name or at that famous river city. In 1991, I sold my metals recycling business and moved to the city on the loess bluff in anticipation of getting a gig on the new gamlin' boat, but as Mississippi law did not specifically say the boats HAD to cruise, lawmakers ruled the boats did not HAVE to cruise,,,, so I was stuck in a poor town with nearly a 20 percent unemployment rate. It was my background, not only on the river, but also in the scrap bizz (Alter Trading Company, parent company of Alter Barge Line, was [is] the largest scrap trading company in the Midwest) that landed me a Mate's slot on the DL in Bettendorf, Iowa where I had the great privilege of working for the Master Pilot, Captain Ken Murphy, one of Alter's best, that Mr. G. brought over from his towing operation to get the riverboat gambling operation started.... and that was over 20 years ago.

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