The Belle of Louisville is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Originally named the Idlewild, she was built by James Rees & Sons Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the West Memphis Packet Company in 1914 and was first put into service on the Allegheny River. Constructed with an all-steel superstructure and asphalt main deck, the steamboat is said to hold the all-time record in her class for miles travelled, years in operation, and number of places visited.
The Idlewild operated as a passenger ferry between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas. 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 14 miles upriver from Louisville. In 1934, she operated a regular excursion schedule through World War II. During the war, she was outfitted with special equipment to push oil barges along the river. She also served as a floating USO nightclub for troops stationed at military bases along the Mississippi.
After the war, in 1947, she was sold to J. Herod Gorsage, and the name was changed to Avalon. Over the next few years, the Avalon visited ports all along the Mississippi, Missouri, St. Croix, Illinois, Kanawha, Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. Her many stops included Omaha, Nebraska, Stillwater, Minnesota, Montgomery, West Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee.
By 1962, the Avalon fell into disrepair, and might have seen the end of its days, until Jefferson County Judge Marlow Cook bought her at an auction for $34,000. She came to Louisville and was re-christened the Belle of Louisville. On April 30, 1963, the Belle made her first cruise in a race against the Delta Queen steamboat. That race was the beginning of an unparalleled river tradition. To this day, the Belle and another competing steamboat, usually the Delta Queen, still square off every year on the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby in the Kentucky Derby Festival event The Great Steamboat Race.
Today, the Belle of Louisville is recognized as the oldest river steamboat in operation, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
In August, 1997, the boat was partially sunk at its moorings; a former crew member of the boat was later convicted of sabotage. 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. Thanks to the swift actions of the steamer's crew and other members of the community, the boat was rescued, repaired, and returned to service.
Great looking riverboat and good history to go with it. I went out on the "Natchez" while in New Orleans about 25 years ago, and it was the highlight of the trip. It was a thrill to get to go into the engine room and see the steam machinery operating up close. I still have a tray of slides from that day. Thanks for the reminder about it.
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