Cotton Blossom calliope

That picture is on display at the River Museum at Alton Locks. According to their id, she is Eva La Reane, once a dancer on the Cotton Blossom.

What a big ol' monster of a calliope! Look at those thin-scaled whistles and the pointed tops on the threaded rod on the whistles. This is definately a Thomas J Nichol instrument and definately built before 1915. Notice the console cover is missing from this instrument. I can imagine the keys got hot on a warm summer afternoon with such exposure to the sun!

This same picture is at the River Heritage Museum at Paducah, KY...so it has gotten around. Judy, I have heard the same performance artist name bandied about with this picture...so I am inclined to agree with you there.

I've never heard of Eva, I'm just going by the ID at the Mel Price Museum, but if Paducah has Eva too, it's Eva now whether it was or not! I'm glad you added 'calliope' after 'monster' in your posting...

This photograph. with identification, is contained in the book, Tales of the Mississippi , by Leonard Huber, Warren Ogden and Ray Samuel.

Jonathan: Now that the name of the calliope player on the COTTON BLOSSOM has been determined, can you identify these two scions of a well known Upper Mississippi River steamboat buff who spent many summers working on the DELTA QUEEN? I took this photo in 1991 when this young buffette and buff were "knee high to a capstan"!

Ah, but those were simple(r) times!

Thanks very much for the photo. I'll have to make sure Sarah sees that as well!

You can get a good idea of how I got into steam whistles and calliopes by visiting my Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/acoustics101

Travis Vasconcelos;6412 wrote: What a big ol' monster of a calliope! Look at those thin-scaled whistles and the pointed tops on the threaded rod on the whistles. This is definately a Thomas J Nichol instrument and definately built before 1915. Notice the console cover is missing from this instrument. I can imagine the keys got hot on a warm summer afternoon with such exposure to the sun!

This same picture is at the River Heritage Museum at Paducah, KY...so it has gotten around. Judy, I have heard the same performance artist name bandied about with this picture...so I am inclined to agree with you there.

Jonathan: It hardly seems possible that 16 years have passed since I snapped that photo on the head of the BELLE! I'm so glad that you, like your fine father, "fell under the spell of the BELLE" and are a steamboat buff extraordinaire!