The Volunteer (canal boat) facts for kids

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|} The Volunteer is a special boat that looks just like the canal boats from the 1800s. It's 76 feet long! The Canal Corridor Association owns and runs it. You can find The Volunteer on a rebuilt part of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in LaSalle, Illinois, USA.

Building The Volunteer

This amazing boat was built in Albany, New York. A company called Scarano Boat Builders created it. The cost to build The Volunteer was almost a million dollars!

The boat was made to look like old canal boats. But it uses modern materials. The bottom part, called the hull, is made from aluminum. The top part is built with special white cedar wood. This wood resists rot. Using these materials helps the boat last a long time. It also makes it easier to take care of.

Riding on The Volunteer

The Volunteer can carry up to 70 passengers. It takes them on fun, hour-long trips. These trips happen on a restored part of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This canal is 96 miles long!

As the boat heads east from its dock, something cool happens. One of two mules, named "Moe" or "Larry," pulls the boat! The mule walks along a path next to the canal called a towpath.

The captain steers the boat by hand. They use a big wooden rudder at the back. During the ride, a guide dressed in old-fashioned clothes tells stories. They explain what life was like on the canal in 1848.

When the boat reaches the Little Vermilion River aqueduct, the mules unhook. Then, the boat turns around. It uses two small electric motors to go backward.

Former Congressman Jerry Weller (left) and former LaSalleMayor Art Washkowiak on the upper deck of The Volunteer.