Topic starter
21/10/2011 1:42 pm
When the Avalon operated on a schedule in the mid 1950's, if she stopped in Marietta, what were my options?
My mother recently remarked
I wish they were back in the cruise business - not just a floating restaurant, and short tours.
Did the Avalon provide some kind of Cruise? If we stayed on board to Wheeling, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, what accomodations were availble to passengers? For that matter, what can I tell my parents to expect if they come to Louisville for Oct 2014?
21/10/2011 1:56 pm
Bruce, the AVALON was never an overnight boat for passengers. When they "tramped", they would go from town to town running short excursions out of each place; that is, a trip of 2 to 4 hours returning to the point of embarkation. They tried to get as many charters as they could in each place, ensuring the boat would fill up.
The boat might play a town for one day/night, or might stay a week or more, depending on the size of the town. When they would move to a new location or town, the crew took the boat there, the crew being the only overnight riders. Accomodations for the crew were minimal, and that's being kind.
The cruise provided was up the river and back down to the landing. You could not stay on to Wheeling, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati. If you go ride the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE, you will get on and off at the same place in downtown Louisville.
I highly recommend you read the book "Moonlight at 8:30" by Captains Clarke C. Hawley and Alan L. Bates. That is your best education to tramping excursion boats.
21/10/2011 3:20 pm
Maybe she is thinking of some other boat as the Belle is not a floating restaurant either.
21/10/2011 3:49 pm
probably the BECKY THATCHER
Since the questioner referred to Marietta, my guess is she's thinking of the BECKY THATCHER, nee MISSISSIPPI III, which was a floating restaurant in Marietta. But the public could never take overnight trips on her either, as she was a Corps boat with just Corps personnel aboard. She sank and was dismantled last winter near Pittsburgh.
Topic starter
21/10/2011 9:39 pm
Judy Patsch;27719 wrote: Since the questioner referred to Marietta, my guess is she's thinking of the BECKY THATCHER, nee MISSISSIPPI III, which was a floating restaurant in Marietta. But the public could never take overnight trips on her either, as she was a Corps boat with just Corps personnel aboard. She sank and was dismantled last winter near Pittsburgh.
The Belle offers lunch and dinner cruises, or at least that is what is listed on the website. The reference to Marietta has to do with two college students, walking by the Marietta landing, wishing they had money for a ride on the Avalon. They finally did take a cruse on the American Queen, and MAL moved them from, the room they paid for, into the Idlewild room on the AQ.
I don't think they ever made it onto the Becky. Thanks for the info on the Avalon, I will forward the information.
23/10/2011 5:46 pm
IDLEWILD/AVALON/BELLE
Excursion steamboating and the history of the Str. IDLEWILD/AVALON/BELLE of LOUISVILLE are well documented in not only Moonlite at 8:30, but in Capt. Alan Bates' book entitled Steamer Belle of Louisville, published in 1965. Another fine tome, which documents the fascinating history and travels of the boat, is Legendary Lady - The Story of the Belle of Louisville, authored by Anne Jewell and Capt. Kevin Mullen in 1999. Both books contain copious photographs and chronicle the life of the old sternwheeler which will celebrate her 100th birthday in 2014.
A video documentary on the boat was done by Tim Young in 1996 and is still available in VHS format only. A DVD history is available, entitled Legendary Lady (like the book) and all of the above are available from the Howard Steamboat Museum gift shop!
23/10/2011 5:53 pm
Floating restaurant as in, not moving from the dock, permanently moored somewhere. Has the Belle ever been in that situation?
23/10/2011 6:22 pm
BELLE as a Permanently Moored Museum
While the battered old Steamer AVALON was being transformed into the BELLE of LOUISVILLE, under the expert direction of Capt. Alan Bates, a small river museum was set up on board and opened to the public. I have seen only photos of the display, but it is my understanding that it was temporarily established and arranged to allow people (especially the naysayers!) to come aboard the boat and see the renovation work underway before she actually began offering excursions in 1963. I'm sure Alan could elucidate further about this period in the boat's history.
Topic starter
24/10/2011 12:43 pm
Reply
Here is my mom's reply to the answers in this thread:
Thanks, we did not know that. We only saw her come into town on many of our "walking dates". We could not afford to go aboard or even ask the prices on the theory "if you have to ask the cost, you can't afford it".
There is a family story from this same time period: While on one of these "walking dates" they purchased a pineapple. The rest of the date was spent sitting outside, cutting the pineapple with a metal fingernail file, since they didn't have a knife.
While they never made it aboard the Avalon, they have traveled on the Belle, without realizing that the experience on the Belle was similar to what was offered on the Avalon.