Topic starter
16/08/2016 12:39 am
Its been a miserable week or more trying to get my computer/finances back in order after getting hacked, but a pleasant break is to talk river...even if its not steamboats. The Davenport boat, Treble Clef, is supposed to head to Memphis, but the high water has delayed that move. Guess its to be a dinner boat, probably the ugliest gambling boat we had on the UMR. Then word just came in tonight that American Queen has bought the Bettendorf boat, Isle of Capri, to be converted into an overnight boat. Weren't they talking about wanting a boat for the Great Lakes in the summer and Cuba in the winter? Of course there has been word up here that AQ was planning to buy one of the shelved boats in Dubuque and also the Diamond Lady... Now what comes to mind on this is what Wilbur Dow was asked when he bought the steam machinery from the Mississippi III and the Gen. John Newton after the NATCHEZ was running: "Are you going to build another steamboat?" "I don't know, but I know no one else is since I've got the machinery!" Of course there are so many ex-gambling boats around it would take a pretty penny to buy them all up to render them unavailable to interested parties. Then there's another sale in the works which gladdens my heart, but I think the word is still 'mum' on that one! 😉
16/08/2016 6:31 pm
Would someone post a picture or two of the ISLE OF CAPRI. Is she a prop boat or does she have a paddlewheel?
17/08/2016 6:42 pm
Hi Frank: The last time I was past there the boat was not a sternwheel, in fact it looks like a barge with a house on it. Just plain ugly. That's been a while ago so it might not be the same boat American Queen purchased.
Topic starter
18/08/2016 12:48 am
Ugly gambling boats
As I emailed Frank, I can't find my pix of these boats since my computer got debugged last week. But I think the one you're talking about Bill, is the Davenport dump, the Treble Clef of Rhythm City. While the Isle of Capri is no beauty, she doesn't quite look as bad as your description. Isn't this terrible, that as much as I see them, I can't remember about the paddlewheel?
18/08/2016 2:09 pm
Thanks, Judy and Capt. Bill, for your replies. The ISLE OF CAPRI's website has been stripped bare of any casino boat photos.
Topic starter
18/08/2016 6:57 pm
Bare of boat..
And sadly I believe the hotel lobby has been stripped of its nautical items too, which were put together by Michael Blaser. His painting of Bettendorf 1960 featuring the AVALON was a a focal point. Hopefully that is still there, but all the Kahlke, QUINLAN, etc. stuff is gone from what I've heard.
25/08/2016 8:36 pm
Judy Patsch;35834 wrote: Of course there has been word up here that AQ was planning to buy one of the shelved boats in Dubuque and also the Diamond Lady...
Hey everyone, I don't post much, but I read and love learning the history of these boats and seeing the pictures. Elementary question, I know, but is the Diamond Lady the sternwheeler that is sitting abandoned in a marina just south of Downtown Memphis?
25/08/2016 9:40 pm
Yes, it is, Wes. Been there for quite a while.
26/08/2016 12:58 pm
Thanks Bob. I've just seen pictures of it online and Google maps, it doesn't look like it would be easy to get a view of it from land, but it looks like it was a pretty large boat and at one time had to have been a nice one as well.
I guess I never introduced myself on here, I am a young-ish guy (be 39 in a couple weeks), and my only experience with steamboats and sternwheelers is an appreciation from growing up on the banks of the Kanawha river in WV. I used to love watching the PA Denny, Major, Roy C, and the other Charleston area sternwheelers come rolling past my house. I've really enjoyed reading these forums since I joined!
26/08/2016 2:44 pm
Welcome to the board, Wes! We'd also love to have you join the Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, NO AFFILIATION WITH PIONEER RIVERMEN NEEDED TO BE A MEMBER. We publish a great quarterly magazine, the S&D Reflector and we meet each September in Marietta, OH. This year's meeting is Dept. 16 & 17. See the link here: riverhistory.org
Topic starter
27/08/2016 5:01 pm
Oh, you can see it from land...or at least you could when she first arrived at McKellar Lake. Bob and I found her immediately, thanks to Bob's great local knowledge. We of course couldn't get near her, but did get a good view. She was one of the gambling boats here in my home area, and yes, she was a beauty, with etched glass panels separating the raised dining booths on the second deck, until Iowa allowed the whole boat to be gambling, then sayonara to the niceties!