''Brazos Belle'' was a American

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

constructed for use on the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Permanently docked in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

as a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

in 1997, the ''Belle'' often hosted dinner parties, receptions, and functions for local

Greek organizations Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. Flooding in 2007 badly damaged the boat; although the ''Belle'' was refloated, repairs proved uneconomical, and the ''Brazos Belle'' was scrapped late in 2008.

History

''Brazos Belle'', originally named ''Brazos Queen II'', was constructed by F.M. Young at a cost of $1 million, the vessel being permanently berthed on

Lake Brazos The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater D ...

, near

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

in Waco in 1997 as a result of fluctuating water levels in the

. Young sold the riverboat to Tony Cain, president of Brazos Leisure, Inc., in 2006. The ''Belle'' was a popular restaurant and tourist attraction in Waco, being used for banquets and wedding receptions, although it proved too large to be operated effectively on the river. In 2006, low water levels on the Brazos River grounded the vessel, leading to it having to temporarily close and lose as much as $70,000 in revenue; in 2007, vandals broke into the boat four times in under two months.

Flooding

On the morning of March 30, 2007, after heavy rains and flooding of the Brazos River, the bottom floor of the ''Belle'' filled up with eight feet of water, and the boat sunk at its moorings. The river, which a year before the flooding was so low it had the ''Belle'' sitting on dry ground, rose 26 feet in the week leading up to the flooding. Afterwards, the boat sat underwater until the city began cleanup in the spring of 2008. Several efforts by the city to contact the owners proved unsuccessful, with Cain first being unable to be found for comment for several weeks, then claiming to have returned title of the boat to Young, then declaring bankruptcy, assessing the damage to the ''Belle'' at $105,000.

Attempted cleanup and scrapping

In order to recoup unpaid taxes, the city sold the ''Belle'' for $10,000 to local businessmen. The ''Belles new owners raised the boat from the riverbottom and planned to move the vessel upstream for repairs. However, a lack of engines and expensive repairs that proved necessary before the vessel could be moved meant that the restoration of the vessel was economically unfeasible, and the ''Brazos Belle'' was sold for scrap, being broken up in late 2008.

New ''Belle''

, a different riverboat named ''Brazos Belle'' operates from Belle's Landing in

East Columbia, Texas East Columbia is an Unincorporated community in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. It is located nine miles west from Angleton. It was one of the most important inland ports in Texas. The river port became a vital component in the plantati ...

, providing dinner tours on the Brazos River. It is claimed to be the first riverboat to sail the Brazos River in 150 years. It made its first voyage on July 31, 2011.

References

External links

*{{Official website, 1=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017155132/http://www.brazosbelle.com/ of the current ''Brazos Belle'' Restaurants in Texas Riverboats Restaurants established in 1997