Shore Tour History

Bruno- I am jumping in where I don't belong since my history with the boats only goes to 2001.

The shore tour that I managed to take as a crew member was the 3 estates in St Francisville. The Myrtles, Rosemond, and there was a third but I can't remember the name. Crew members do not have time for shore tours because crew are busy loading supplies.

I also self-toured the planations in southern Louisiana and Natchez. I always walked around town in the northern towns between St Louis and St Paul. I have favorite shops in Marietta, Henderson, Paducah, to name just a few places. Chattonooga (can't spell it) has a fantastic aquarium.

Many crew and passengers were eager to try the casinos along the river and you are correct about losing track of time there.

I would have loved to tour Shiloh and Lara Plantation but those are generally long tours so I had no time as a crew member.

As for costs of tours and values, I cannot say. But when I have been in Munich, London, Brussels, Thailand, and a number of other places, I would buy a tour early on and was never really disappointed. The tour helped me get a feel for the area.

But, I think MAL and previous owners are correct to keep that as a separate cost and feature. I am sure there is a mark-up or kick-back for tours. But the boats can never please all the people all the time and I think shore tours should always be optional.

I think Pete Sisak's idea of forming a group and renting a car might also work for some people. But the previous market of the boat had many people who had actually given up driving.

One thing that was a real treat was Captain Gabe's tramping cruises. He had already arranged that we came into town as the big event. The parties on shore were spectacular even in their simplicity. Like the picnic, they had the flavor of a small town treating every passenger (and crew) as a true celebrity. I was overwhelmed by the generosity, warm, and southern hospitality. I still maintain friendships from those days.

Finally, I will acknowledge the negatives and complaints I did hear concerning the quality versus the value of shore tours but I think giving people options is always good.

Hey there Elaine.

I too agree that it was good that MAL kept the shore tours an optional, additional cost thing. And I've always felt that the short tours Deb and I have taken have been great bangs for the buck, no complaints. Matter of fact, having all tours included in the cruise price and having a new tour tempting you, prepaid so to speak, each and every day of the cruise, I think would be a bit much.

In Natchez, another couple and us rented a car from Enterprise who picked us up right at the boat. It was wonderful, anything to avoid that hill...

Tramping? We have done that twice with DQSC's finest: Capt. Gabe and Capt. Mike...wonderful times. And you talk about the town coming out for the big event...that is a reason Deb and I still talk about Smithland, wonderful little town...

Bruno,

My steamboating history goes back to 1995 and shore tours were offered then.

Carmen

I go back to 1973, geez 34 years ago already! We did not have the grand shore tours by motorcoach then in most places. Natchez and Vicksburg did have bus tours. But in most towns there was an attraction or two for which tickets were bought and the pax were transported in vans, school buses, or even private cars. In some places, like Cairo, the townspeople came down and took pax around town on their own, a real delight. My first trip had stops in Hannibal and Nauvoo. We merely walked into town in Hannibal and toured on our own, and in Nauvoo, which was not developed into the tourist center it is now, we had a tour of the blue cheese factory, a walking tour of the then town square/planned tabernacle site. They had school buses at the landing to take people up into town. I never took the boat tours but always wandered around on my own and met some fascinating people and got some behind-the-scenes tours that way. On my first St.L-St.P trip in '74, we stopped at Hannibal, Dubuque, Prairie du Chien and Winona. At Dubuque the tour included the Ham House museum and the 4th St Elevator(no big museum complex back then). PduC was the Villa, which was right by the landing; and Winona probably included the Watkins Plant and the Winona County Historical Museum, done by school buses. In summation, tours were shorter, done by foot or school bus, were more informal, and were much cheaper. There weren't any shuttles. Shore stops were shorter, like 3-5 hours and we actually cruised during daylight hours and often choked a stump at night so as not to miss scenery during the day. The emphasis was on the boat and cruising, not the shore stops, for which I was grateful. If I had wanted to do extensive land touring I would have gone by land in the first place.

Shore Tours

As usual Judy has done a super job on explaining how it really was in the "good old days". It was the same in the 1960's under the Greene's.
They ran on a "slow bell" at night so that the passengers could really see the river system the boat was traveling on during daylight hours. Supposedly that was what the trip was all about. The shore stops were just the icing on the cake. Now the passenger pays all that money and sees very little of the rivers and the shore side scenery. It's just not MAL because the RiverBarge follows the same kind of routine. The customer base has changed, and I see it even here in Cincinnati on the dinner cruises. Most of the people on board never go out on deck, its the bar and buffett plus talk. The boat could stay at the dock and the exiting passengers would tell you what a great cruise the had. Before Judy jumps my case, let me say I enjoy working Tall Stacks because just the opposite happens, passengers will skip the meals so that they don't miss anything in the harbor.

Being from the old school like Judy, I agree completely with her insight about shore tours. If I want an extensive land tour I would take a bus tour. Give me the river cruseing during the day and choke a stump at night so as not to miss the scenery. I was Tour Purser on the MQ in 1976 and tours were usually 2-3 hours and sold for about $10-$20 as best as I recall. My first experience working on the DQ in the summer of 1974 was a short 6 weeks in the galley. I do not recall if they offered any organized shore tours to the passengers. I know they did not offer any shore tours to the galley help!! All the towns along the river in those days seemed to have something interesting that you could stroll around and see on your own.

This is from the old message board what I experienced as a shore tour...
Much more fun than being carted onto a motorcoach like cattle...

http://www.steamboats.org/talkshop/messages/6291.html

More on the old shore stops

My first posting was done rather hastily this morning before I headed off to work - yes, I'm back in the workforce for a couple of weeks doing individualized reading testing - so here's a more rambling recollection of the shore stops in the 70s/80s. First of all, realize there are many more riverside attractions now, such as the huge museum complex in Dubuque, the Mormon Visitor Centers and Tabernacle in Nauvoo, the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, etc. 30 years ago much of the stop was spent finding one's own 'treasures' in a town. Secondly, no such thing as cell phones, so the first objective at most stops was finding a pay phone to call home, for both crew and passengers. In my log book I made notes of where pay phones were in each town, and I'd often beat the crew to one. Thirdly, the Captain was in charge of making the decisions about the stops, not the Hotel Manager. So that is why we could choke a stump to arrive in daylight; or to make unscheduled stops, one of the greatest treats on a trip, to surprise the natives;and finally, where the scheduled stops would be was not always the function of a big corporate decision. One stop was made because the owner of a tourist attraction always met the boat with a load of Sunday Des Moines Registers and a big box of donuts. So here goes with some recollections, moving upriver from NOLA: Houmas House: we merely walked over the levee and onto the grounds. Some took a tour, others just wandered around outside. My greatest memory there was seeing the Big E come up the path on his little motor scooter, and getting a pix of the DQ barely visible over the levee in fog. Oak Alley: while looking at the house through the alley of oaks was impressive, it was equally impressive to stand on the house gallery and look at the DQ at the other end of the oaks; Baton Rouge: a walk through the State Capitol grounds under the Spanish moss was impressive. I'd go up to the 34th floor observation deck and look down on Huey P.'s grave and over to the DQ at the Capital City Marine dock. St. Francisville: the scenic gravel pit stop. Many a time it was foggy and I'd awake to the fog horn sounded from the ferry. I always took a ferry ride across the river to photograph the DQ. Of course the praline ladies were always there to meet us, and I enjoyed the long walk into town to see the azaleas blooming. Natchez: after walking UP the hill, a restful stop at the gazebo overlooking the river was in order, followed by a visit to the garden at Stanton Hall to see the Betsy Ann's bell and buy a praline from the lady out front, and then a meandering walk about town. One year I went into the JCPenney store and told them I was a DQ passenger and asked if I could pay with a personal check - no problem and no ID needed. We were always royalty. On the way back to the boat a stop in the gift store next to the saloon was a must. Vicksburg: I only went to the battlefield once. I walked uptown to the Courthouse Museum to look at the boat artifacts and pix, then to the Coca Cola Museum, and then down to climb around the SPRAGUE remains; Greenville: the blue water of Lake Ferguson in the toilets during the stop was the highlight(nuf said); Helena: can't remember what was in town but I do remember having to walk seemingly endlessly through the muddy woods to get to it...; Memphis: a boat ride on the MEMPHIS QUEEN II was in order (Mud Island hadn't opened yet nor was Beale Street much of an attraction during the day); Cairo: always a friendly place with the locals willing to take you anywhere. I had an insurance company office where I went to make my phone call in the air conditioned comfort of the owner's office. I believe the whole town had only one pay phone! Do they still throw a coin into the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi and ring the roof bell? Caruthersville: we stopped there one Sunday morning, I don't know why. Not even the Dairy Queen was open!
New Madrid: nice little river museum just over the levee; Cape Girardeau: ??? just walked around downtown I guess. Ste. Genevieve: we stopped once at the gravel pits and had the dust all over the boat to prove it. The long walk into town in 97 degree weather was memorable, but not the town. The ice water awaiting us on board was the highlight. Hannibal: MT's and BT's houses were about it then. The main goal was Cassano's Pizza Parlor, which is sadly now the Tourist Bureau. Nauvoo: the blue cheese factory, the flowery town square and the beautiful view from the yard of the girl's dormitory - all of which are now gone. Burlington: the first place to have organized civic greeters. There were a couple of antique shops with old river postcards. Sabula Iowa: the greatest surprise stop ever, documented in an earlier posting, Iowa's only island city; Dubuque: the Ham House Museum which housed Dave Tschiggfrie's AVALON model, and the bowling alley from which I made my phone calls. And an open Dairy Queen up the street. Prairie du Chien: always a steamy mile walk into town past the Prairie Schooner Bar. One store had a sign which always cracked me up: Sorry, We're Open. And of course, a stop at Pete's for a hamburger smothered in onions. LaCrosse: friends taking me up to the top of Granddad Bluff and a visit to the photo archives at the UWLax library. Winona: a visit with Capt. and Mrs. Walter Karnath, walking through the street flea market, touring the JULIUS C. WILKIE, Dan Forman noting that from our angle the name on the water tower was: WINO; getting into the stacks of archives at the Winona County Historical Society. Wabasha: checking out the Anderson House cats, walking up the bridge ramp for some good pix of the DQ; Red Wing: the St. James Hotel. And one Ohio River town: Marietta: I asked how far the river museum was - only 5 blocks. Those were the longest blocks in America! It took almost a half hour it seemed. But of course it was worth the walk, as was touring the Lafayette Hotel. And of course during the shore stops we had the townspeople on board getting their 25 cent tour. I always got back to talk to them and show them my room. Simpler times, simpler pleasures.

Judy Patsch;5308 wrote: And one Ohio River town: Marietta: I asked how far the river museum was - only 5 blocks. Those were the longest blocks in America! It took almost a half hour it seemed. But of course it was worth the walk, as was touring the Lafayette Hotel.

There was a church in downtown Marietta, I think it was the Lutheran church, that wanted to get out of downtown and move to something less urban. The new location is halfway to the Ohio River Museum.

Marietta Memorial Hospital is on the other side of town from the landing, up past the Washington County Fair grounds on the Muskingum. Recently I was measuring distances to answer a question someone asked at a college fair.

The main part of Marietta, the part with square city blocks on the east side of the Muskingum, is only 2 miles long by 2 miles wide. If you have limited mobility, getting up fifth street can be a killer because 5th and Scammel is up on a hill, and every east/west street north of Greene has some sort of climb to it as you get further east.

At least the Ohio River Museum in on Front Street, and the Campus Martius is only on Second.

---current shore tours---

The shore tour takes you around Marietta, and over the bridge into Williamstown WV to the Fenton glass factory. Our cruise this summer is during Fenton's manditory two week vacation, so the factory will be closed, and I assume that the retail store will be closed as well.

There is also a trip out to a farm in Washington County. A current Marietta resident told me that it isn't much outside of harvest season.

The main advantage of the organized shore tours is that normally the Ohio River Museum is only open on weekends, except by special arrangement. If one of the boats is in town, I can see them having staff available on weekdays.

Don't forget the stick buns from the Andersen House in Wabasha!!!

The bakery there also had a great blueberry fritter!!!!

Across in Nelson, WI to Nelson Dairy for homemade ice cream and cheese curds! (it helps having family bird-dog with a car or renting a loaner from Paul Busch Motors) also a visit to Alma's street front and Lock 4...

On the illinois in Henry, IL....one of my favorite stores...Read Bros the Case/IH dealer in the back, True Value hardware store in the front!

Experiences like this really fostered my Delta Queen memories...

As my Grandpa Zahn would say..."don't be a tourist!"

The big church facing the Muskingum River on Front Street en route to the Ohio River Museum is the First Congregational Church, also known as "The Two Horned Church" (by steamboat captains and pilots who used it as a landmark) for its twin bell towers. The sanctuary is beautiful and I've enjoyed "rattling the rafters" with their Austin pipe organ.

It's always been a joy to walk around the beautiful, historic river town of Marietta, with it's old brick streets and nice wide sidewalks, enjoying the architecture of the old homes, churches and other interesting buildings.

The old Lutheran church is now St. Lukes Episcopal Church. It is the next block up from the two horned church on Second Street.

The new church is at Third and Wooster.

If you walk to the Ohio River Museum from the landing, you start by the landing, at Greene Street

the cross streets (not including named alleys) are two tenths of a mile from each other.

Butler Street
Putnam Street
Scammel Street
Wooster Street
Washington Street

The numbered streets are one tenth of a mile from each other, but that doesn't take changes in elevation into account. From Front Street to the Mound Cemetery at Fifth and Scammel seems like a much longer distance than from Front Street to Don Drumm Stadium at Fifth and Greene.

Of course if you are starting at the landing, the Mound Cemetery is much further away. Now that the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge over the Muskingum is kept turned so that people can walk to the Harmar Hill side of town, the stores there are more accessible to pedestrians as well.

Great post on the "old school" shore touring.

And it should be pointed out that most all of those options are still there today. Actually, it sounded a lot like a normal, off the boat afternoon for those crew who have the time to enjoy each town.

I miss the boiled hamburgers that used to be available hard by the boat at the LaCrosse and Prarie du Chein landings.

You mentioned Helena and at first glance, Helena is not much to look at. But it does have a rich blues history. In fact, once a year, this sleepy little town becomes a mecca for blues artists and fans alike with a festival that draws thousands of people. There is a great blues museum down on the right toward the end of the main street. And for those musicians out there, there is an old school music store just before it featuring a lot of "classic" stuff. The last time I was there, they had completed a new restaurant/shopping venue in classic brick and mortar. I think it used to be a railroad station.

Like most river towns, there's always something to find if you scratch deep enough.

Paul

Thanks, Judy, for that dandy "trip" (or is it a "cruise"?) down Memory Lane! Yes, indeed, we enjoyed many a pizza from Cassano's at Hannibal. When I was there in 2003, they were still in business, but had moved out on Highway 61, their old building now being part of the Mark Twain Museum complex. In my thousands of color slides, I know there's one of you clutching a big Cassano's Pizza box, with the DQ tied up in the background!

As you mentioned in an earlier posting, there were ALWAYS wonderful people in the river towns to offer genuine hospitality of all kinds, especially rides up the hill at Vicksburg, Natchez, etc. Most expected absolutely nothing in return, but were always delighted to be invited aboard the DQ for a tour and a cup of coffee. People on the river are happy to give!

Keith Norrington;5318 wrote: People on the river are happy to give!

I think it comes from the experience of living near the river. When river levels in Marietta are expected to be above flood stage, people appear to help the business district move their inventory to higher ground.

It is like the song from Music Man where the citizens of River City sing, "oh, we'll give you our shirt, and our back to with it, if your crops should happen to die."

It's unusual that most of Marietta's historic churches are pretty much grouped together in the same area of town, putting parking at a premium. I've attended services at the First Presbyterian Church a number of times over the years and it is always a pleasant experience to walk to church on a sunny Sunday morning, listening to the church bells ringing as people, en route to the various houses of worship, greet each other on the sidewalks. True Americana!

We also liked Helena. I bought a copy of "The King & Queen of the River" there in an "antique mall." Strange place to find a California book!
Another great thing about Helena is the long echo found there. The calliope sends out a call, and it comes back--about four notes worth of delay! Travis had fun with it on tour trip!
S'
David D.