Very few shipping fans that we know of are the slightest bit interested in diesel towboats, but it seems that many are hooked on the past and present (if any) of steam navigation on these far away waters. Some of our readers may not believe it, but 1971 saw the entry into service of a steam powered sternwheel excursion vessel. And she is not your typical fake riverboat so common on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence to lure gullible tourists into parting with their greenbacks!

No, JULIA BELLE SWAIN is the real thing. Built at Dubuque, Iowa (on the Mississippi, for those who do not know), by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Co., she is powered by the steam machinery removed from the catamaran ferry CITY OF BATON ROUGE. And she's a real beauty! Complete with twin landing stages, bull rails on the main deck, gingerbread on the upperworks, feathered stacks and a lovely triple chime steam whistle, she made her way up the Illinois River to Peoria where she is now in residence. Visitors to that area will know how to spend their time ....

For those who are wondering, DELTA QUEEN is alive and well and is coming up on the end of one of her most successful seasons ever. With her woodwork refurbished, old paint blasted away, and new coverings on her decks, she is every bit a Queen. Thankfully, she has not had any obvious attacks of modernization in her cabin interiors. Her 1972 schedule has been announced and, for the benefit of Great lakes fans who may only have a short time to visit aboard, we would advise that she will be running two and three day weekend trips out of New Orleans, Little Rock, Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis, Peoria, St. Paul and, of course, Cincinnati - lots of choice. In addition, many longer trips will be operated, the longest being two 19-day round trips between Cincinnati and New Orleans.

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Reproduced for the Web with the permission of the Toronto Marine Historical Society.