''Belle of Louisville'' is a
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
owned and operated by the city of
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, and moored at its
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
wharf
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...
next to the
Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere
Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere is a public area on the Ohio River in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Although proposed as early as 1930, the project did not get off the ground until $13.5 million in funding was secured in 1969 to revitalize the downtow ...
during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most widely traveled river steamboat in American history." ''Belle of Louisville''s offices are aboard ''
Mayor Andrew Broaddus'', and also appears on the list of
National Historic Landmarks
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
History
Idlewild
Originally named ''Idlewild'', the ''Belle of Louisville'' was built by James Rees & Sons Company in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, for the West Memphis Packet Company in 1914. She initially operated as a passenger ferry between
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, and
West Memphis
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, ranking it as the state's 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista, ...
,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
. She also hauled cargo such as cotton, lumber, and grain. She then came to Louisville in 1931 and ran trips between the
Fontaine Ferry amusement park near downtown Louisville and
Rose Island, a resort about upriver from Louisville.
From 1934 through
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, ''Idlewild'' operated a regular excursion schedule. During this time she was outfitted with special equipment to push oil barges along the river. She also served as a floating
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
nightclub for troops stationed at military bases along the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
.
Avalon
In 1947, ''Idelwild'' was sold to J. Herod Gorsage in Cincinnati and renamed ''Avalon'', honoring the death-bed wish of her long-time captain, Master Ben Winters.
Over the next few years, ''Avalon'' visited ports all along the Mississippi,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
St. Croix
Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
Kanawha,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, and
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
Rivers. Her many stops included
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
;
Stillwater,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
;
Montgomery,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
; and
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, Tennessee.
While river technology played an integral role in Louisville during the early 19th century, that relationship declined as
railways
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
and
roads
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
began to dominate the riverfront. ''Avalon'' fell into disrepair. Then, in 1962
Jefferson County Judge
Marlow Cook
Marlow Webster Cook (July 27, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American politician who served Kentucky in the United States Senate from his appointment in December 1968 to his resignation in December 1974. He was a moderate Republican.
He ...
purchased the steamboat for $34,000 in hopes of reconnecting the city's people to the waterfront.
Soon, the city re-christened her the ''Belle of Louisville.''
The steamboat's purchase played a crucial role in restoring
Waterfront Park along with Louisville's relationship to the Ohio River.
Restoration
The restoration of the boat was supervised by marine architect Alan L. Bates (now Captain Bates), whose book, ''Str. Belle of Louisville'', (1964) remains a primary source on the history of the boat and the crews who worked on her.
Prior to the auction, the hull had been condemned as unfit by the
U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...
: concrete patches had added much weight to the oft-damaged hull, as had generations of accumulated modifications to the decks and fittings within her
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
. These were stripped and repaired in
dry dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
or removed by volunteers.
What remained was cleaned, surface prepared, supplied with new finish carpentry, and painted in a style consistent with the boat's early 20th-century origins.
Captain Clarke "Doc" Hawley, had worked aboard the boat during her ''Avalon'' days. He had salvaged the brass nameplates from the ends of the two massive cylinders in order to prevent them from being sold for scrap, and now he returned them to the boat. Hawley had also, before the auction, at his own cost hired an assistant to drain the boat's water-filled fittings for winter, so that they would not freeze and burst. This meant that the mechanical restoration of the boat was now possible, at far less cost than had extensive refitting of ruined pipe work been necessary.
Various of her workings, though not her engine and drive train, had been stripped and sold in separate lots at auction, including the boat's original
steam calliope.
Volunteers donated materials which could be adapted to use. Some of them, such as brass steam-powered bilge clearing pumps known as siphons, were cannibalized from sunken steamboats whose hulls could still be seen and dived at low water. Some missing components were custom-fabricated by local foundries in a style copied from photos of the boat in her earlier days. The degree of preservation was considerable, and the boat is still piloted with a 19th-century skill set, though now with the assistance of modern communications.
Although authentic to its core, the boat has occasionally seen improvements not part of the original restoration. The compressed-air driven calliope which replaced the missing original proved unsatisfying, and was ultimately replaced with the true steam calliope which the boat uses today, audible for many blocks in the surrounding
Downtown Louisville
Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jaco ...
area when the boat is readying to depart. The new calliope was built by Morecraft Manufacturing of
Peru, Indiana
Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located ...
and installed in 1988. The instrument is a reproduction of the Nichol instrument that the boat carried when named ''Avalon''.
The ship's bow was also redesigned by Bates in the late 1960s, to make the boat a better contender in the
Great Steamboat Race
The Great Steamboat Race is an annual steamboat race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby, as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on t ...
: the original, blunter bow at maximum speeds showed the tendency for waves to break over it.
Career as ''Belle of Louisville''
On April 30, 1963, ''Belle of Louisville'' made her first cruise in a race against the steamboat ''
Delta Queen
The ''Delta Queen'' is an American sternwheel steamboat. She is known for cruising the major rivers that constitute the tributaries of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South, although she began service in California on the ...
''. That race was the beginning of an unparalleled river tradition. To this day, ''Belle of Louisville'' and another competing steamboat, previously the ''Delta Queen'', still square off every year on the Wednesday before the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
in the
Kentucky Derby Festival
The Kentucky Derby Festival is an annual festival held in Louisville, Kentucky, during the two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby. The festival, Kentucky's largest single annual event, first ran from 1935 to ...
event The
Great Steamboat Race
The Great Steamboat Race is an annual steamboat race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby, as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on t ...
.
Thousands of spectators line both sides of the river to watch the race: on the first occasion of the running of the race, attendance exceeded that of the Kentucky Derby the same year. Originally, Kentucky Derby officials were said to be reluctant to accept the steamboat race as part of the Derby celebrations, as in old betting parlance, a "boat race" refers to a horse race with an outcome influenced by dishonest means. According to Louisville folklore, the race may be rigged, but insiders insist that cheating is impossible, because the race has no rules—the only prizes are bragging rights and a pair of gilded deer antlers, which are mounted above the forecastle of the winning boat.
Today, ''Belle of Louisville'' is recognized as the oldest river steamboat in operation, placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1972, and designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1989.
The annual Forecastle Festival is one of many examples of how ''Belle of Louisville'' has impacted several events throughout the city of Louisville. Although the music festival takes place in mid-July in Waterfront Park during the day carrying over into the late evening, ''Belle of Louisville'' acts as the venue for the after shows and parties that are specifically for Forecastle VIP ticket holders. During these after shows and parties, select performers act as the entertainment as people get to experience the environment of Louisville from the perspective of the river while they ride around on ''Belle of Louisville''.
In August 1997, ''Belle of Louisville'' was partially sunk at her moorings; a former crew member of the boat was later convicted of
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
. The proximate cause of the sinking was flooding of the hull via a city water line left connected to a fitting that led into the boat's hull. Due to the swift actions of the steamer's crew and other members of the community, the boat was rescued, repaired, and returned to service.
In February 2007, Mark Doty was named as ''Belle of Louisville''s captain, replacing Kevin Mullen, who left the position in November 2006. Doty's official title is "
Master of the Fleet
In the Royal Navy, the rank of master of the fleet denoted the sailing master of a fleet flagship, or the senior sailing master in a fleet.
History
Examples include John Bowen (master of the fleet during the Glorious First of June 1794), Ian ...
" or "Port Captain".
On October 17, 2009, ''Belle of Louisville'' collided with a dock near
Six Mile Island on the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
. Witness statements report that the accident occurred as she was making a turnaround about halfway through a cruise. Tugboats were used to pull her to safety. A ''Belle of Louisville'' official was quoted as saying that the wind had caused her to hit the dock. It has been reported that one-third of the paddle wheel's bucket planks were damaged in the collision, and jockey bar (the main steel arm, which goes across the aft end of the paddle wheel) was bent. The crew, however, was able to fix the damage without
drydocking. The damaged bucket planks were replaced from stock held in storage.
On October 18, 2014, ''Belle of Louisville'' turned 100 years old. To celebrate, a 5-day riverboat festival named "The Belle's Big Birthday Bash"
was held in Louisville along parts of
Louisville Waterfront Park
Louisville Waterfront Park is both a non-profit organization and an public park adjacent to the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky and the Ohio River. Specifically, it is adjacent to Louisville's wharf and Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere, which ...
. Eight other riverboats from across the country joined ''Belle of Louisville'' to help celebrate her 100th year on the river. The festival incorporated cruises, fireworks, riverfront concerts, hot air balloon glows, and more. The other riverboats attending the festival included ''Spirit of Jefferson'', ''
Anson Northrup'', ''Belle of Cincinnati'', ''The Colonel'', ''
General Jackson'', ''
River Queen
''River Queen'' is a 2005 New Zealand-British war drama film directed by Vincent Ward and starring Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison and Stephen Rea. The film opened to mixed reviews but performed well at t ...
'', ''
Spirit of Peoria
''Spirit of Peoria'' is a riverboat that normally runs in the Peoria, Illinois area on the Illinois River watershed. The boat participated in the 2004 Grand Excursion. ''Spirit of Peoria'' is a true paddle steamer, paddleboat, actually using its ...
'', and ''
Celebration Belle''. This festival was said to be the largest riverboat gathering that Louisville has seen in over 100 years. A portion of the proceeds from The Belle's Big Birthday Bash went toward her preservation fund.
''Belle of Louisville'' in fiction
''Belle of Louisville'' appears as a character (powered by an
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
) in
Rudy Rucker
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker (; born March 22, 1946) is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known f ...
's 1988 novel ''
Wetware'', which takes place on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
and in
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
in the year 2031.
Gallery
Image:Belle of Louisville salvage.jpg, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
assists in the salvage of ''Belle of Louisville'' after the 1997 incident.
Image:Belleoflouisville.jpg, ''Belle of Louisville'' at her home, the 4th Street Wharf.
Image:BelleLouisville2.jpg, ''Belle of Louisville'' docked in Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
by Great American Ballpark
Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Red ...
.
Image:Steamboat_Belle_of_Louisville_at_Clark_Bridge_Louisville_Kentucky_USA_Ohio_River_mile_604_August_1987_file_87h102.jpg, ''Belle of Louisville'' at Clark Bridge
The Clark Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. Named after explorer William Clark like the bridge it replaced, the cable-stayed bridge opened in 1994. It carries U.S. R ...
, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, USA, Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
mile 604, August 1987.
Image:Steamboat_Belle_of_Louisville_at_Clark_Bridge_Louisville_Kentucky_USA_Ohio_River_mile_604_August_1987_file_87h103.jpg, ''Belle of Louisville'' at Clark Bridge
The Clark Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. Named after explorer William Clark like the bridge it replaced, the cable-stayed bridge opened in 1994. It carries U.S. R ...
, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, USA, Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
mile 604, August 1987.
Image:Steamboat_Belle_of_Louisville_at_wharf_with_George_Rogers_Clark_Memorial_Bridge_in_distance_Louisville_Kentucky_USA_Ohio_River_mile_604_December_1987_file_87l055.jpg, ''Belle of Louisville'' at wharf with George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge
The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Second Street Bridge, is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31.
History
Debate ...
in distance, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, USA, Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
mile 604, December 1987.
See also
*
*
*
References
External links
*
Official websiteVideo Clips of ''Belle of Louisville''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belle Of Louisville
1914 ships
Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
Local landmarks in Louisville, Kentucky
National Historic Landmarks in Kentucky
National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky
Paddle steamers of the United States
Passenger ships of the United States
River cruise ships
Ships built in Pittsburgh
Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky
Steamboats of the Mississippi River
Steamboats of the Ohio River
Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky
Tourist attractions in Louisville, Kentucky