The ''Julia Belle Swain'' is a

steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tra ...

sternwheeler A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

currently under restoration in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, US. Designed and built in 1971 by Capt. Dennis Trone, the ''Julia Belle'' was the last boat built by

Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works Iowa Iron Works, renamed Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works in 1904, was a manufacturing company established in Dubuque, Iowa in 1883. Notable Boats ''Sprague'' built in 1901, was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat. In 1907, ''Sp ...

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

. The boat's steam engines were built in 1915 by the Gillett and Eaton Company and originally installed on the central wheel ferryboat '' City of Baton Rouge''. The engines have logged well over a million miles. The steamer prominently featured in various cinematic adaptations of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's literary works - firstly in 1973 movie ''Tom Sawyer'' (as the ''River Queen''), the 1974 movie ''Huckleberry Finn''., and also in the opening and closing titles of the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

television series ''

Huckleberry Finn and His Friends ''Huckleberry Finn and His Friends'' is a 1979 television series documenting the exploits of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, based on the novels ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) by American wr ...

''. The ''Julia Belle'' was formerly based in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, making short excursions on

Peoria Lake Peoria Lake is a section of the Illinois River between Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois and East Peoria in Tazewell County, Illinois. The oldest section of Peoria, the largest city on the river, lies at its shores. The lake is formed by a bro ...

and two-day round trip cruises to

Starved Rock State Park Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the ...

. Singer-songwriter

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

Gentle on My Mind "Gentle on My Mind" is a song that was written and originally recorded by John Hartford, and released on his second studio album, '' Earthwords & Music'' (1967). Hartford composed the song after watching ''Doctor Zhivago'' in 1966, as he was i ...

") was a frequent guest pilot and often mentioned the ''Julia Belle'' in his songs, and penned a song named for the boat that appeared on his ''

Mark Twang ''Mark Twang'' is a 1976 album by American bluegrass singer-songwriter and instrumentalist John Hartford. Much of his songs for the album were inspired by Hartford's experiences working on a riverboat, notably "Julia Belle Swain, The Julia Belle Sw ...

'' album. The boat ran excursions 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 ...

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

, Indiana, during parts of 1975 and 1976. Later, the boat ran on the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. The ''Julia Belle'', smaller and nimbler than some of its sisters on America's rivers, has entered 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 ...

twice, in 1975 and 1976. She won in 1976, beating better-known vessels such as the ''

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 ...

'' and the ''

Belle of Louisville ''Belle of Louisville'' is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most wid ...

''. In 2009, the owners of the ''Julia Belle Swain'' canceled their season because of the slow economy, and considered putting the steamboat up for sale. In 2013, the ''Julia Belle Swain'' was allowed to dock temporarily at Riverside Park in La Crosse. The riverboat remained still, docked for five years on the backwaters of the Mississippi near the railroad bridge, until it was sold in 2013 to the newly formed, not-for-profit Julia Belle Swain Foundation which had the intentions of restoring and preserving the boat. The restoration soon turned into a rebuild which included a new boiler system, new generators, new wiring, gutting the interior, improving the insulation, and new windows, etc., however, the only original piece used is the frame. The new interior will be more period correct and the steamer will again be "Trone Fabulous" as she was originally built. The restoration of the ''Julia Belle Swain'' cost over $1.5 million and is expected to be completed in 2017. After she is complete, the foundation expects to keep this attraction in La Crosse to hold weddings and other events. As of 2022, the ''Julia Belle Swain'' was sold by the Julia Belle Swain foundation to new owner Troy Manthey, who plans to finish the restoration started by the foundation, and use the boat for Mississippi river cruises.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Julia Belle Swain''
at Steamboats.com

at Steamboats.org
''Julia Belle Swain'' video
at YouTube 1971 ships La Crosse, Wisconsin Steamboats of the Mississippi River Peoria, Illinois Ships built in Iowa Illinois River Paddle steamers of the United States Tourist attractions in La Crosse County, Wisconsin

See also

References

External links