Julia Belle Swain facts for kids
The Julia Belle Swain is a cool old steamboat! It's a special kind of boat called a sternwheeler. This means it has a big paddle wheel at the back that pushes it through the water. Right now, it's being fixed up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the USA.
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Building a Steamboat
The Julia Belle Swain was designed and built in 1971. A man named Captain Dennis Trone created it. It was the very last boat made by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works company in Dubuque, Iowa.
The boat's powerful steam engines are even older than the boat itself! They were built way back in 1915. These engines were first used on another ferryboat called the City of Baton Rouge. They have traveled over a million miles on rivers!
A Star on the River
The Julia Belle has been famous in many movies and TV shows! It appeared in movies based on Mark Twain's books.
- In the 1973 movie Tom Sawyer, it was called the River Queen.
- It was also in the 1974 movie Huckleberry Finn.
- You could see it in the opening and closing parts of the 1979 TV series Huckleberry Finn and His Friends.
Adventures on the Rivers
The Julia Belle used to be based in Peoria, Illinois. From there, it took short trips on Peoria Lake. It also made longer, two-day trips to Starved Rock State Park.
A famous singer named John Hartford loved the Julia Belle. He often helped steer the boat! He even wrote songs about the Julia Belle, and one song was named after the boat. It was on his album called Mark Twang.
The boat also traveled to other rivers. In 1975 and 1976, it ran trips on the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana. Later, it sailed on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Great Steamboat Race
The Julia Belle was smaller and quicker than some other big steamboats. This helped it in the exciting Great Steamboat Race! It entered the race twice, in 1975 and 1976.
In 1976, the Julia Belle won the race! It beat other well-known boats like the Delta Queen and the Belle of Louisville. What an achievement!
Restoring a River Queen
In 2009, the owners of the Julia Belle Swain stopped their trips. They were thinking about selling the steamboat. In 2013, the boat was allowed to dock at Riverside Park in La Crosse.
The steamboat stayed docked for five years. Then, in 2013, a new group bought it. This group was called the Julia Belle Swain Foundation. They are a not-for-profit group. Their goal was to fix up and save the boat.
The restoration turned into a huge rebuilding project! They are putting in a new boiler system and new generators. They are also adding new wiring, new windows, and improving the insulation. The inside of the boat is being completely redone. The only original part they are keeping is the boat's main frame.
The new inside will look more like how boats did in the past. The foundation wants the steamer to be "Trone Fabulous" again, just like when it was first built. Fixing up the Julia Belle Swain cost over $1.5 million. The foundation plans to keep the boat in La Crosse. They hope to use it for weddings and other fun events.
