Tourist sternwheelers of Oregon facts for kids
Since the early 1980s, some cool riverboats that look like old-fashioned sternwheelers have been built in Oregon. These boats cruise on big rivers like the Willamette and Columbia River. They are used for fun river cruises and to help bring tourists to the area. Even though they look like old paddle steamers with a big wheel at the back, they are actually modern motor vessels. This means they run on diesel engines, not steam. The Lurdine, now called the Rose, was one of the first of these new passenger sternwheelers on the Columbia River in many years, starting in 1983. The idea to build the M.V. Columbia Gorge also came from local leaders. They thought a tourist sternwheeler would be a great way to attract visitors and help the economy in Cascade Locks, Oregon.
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Bringing Back Riverboat Fun
For a long time, there were no working passenger sternwheelers left in Oregon. The only real steam-powered sternwheeler still around is the tugboat Portland. It's a historic boat, but it has never carried passengers regularly. In the old days, many passenger steamboats, both sternwheelers and sidewheelers, traveled on Oregon's rivers. But over time, they all stopped running.
By the late 1900s, people started to miss these boats. They wanted to bring back the fun of river cruises. So, they began to think about building new boats that looked like the old ones. These new boats would be just for tourists. In 1983, the first two of these new tour boats, the Lurdine (now Rose) and the Columbia Gorge, were launched.
Meet the Modern Sternwheelers
Here are some of the cool sternwheelers that operate in Oregon. They are listed by when they were first launched. Most of them also travel on the Columbia River, which forms part of the border between Oregon and Washington. Some have even been to Alaska!
The Rose
The sternwheeler now known as the Rose is a 65-foot (20 m) boat. It took almost four years to build, from 1979 to 1983. It was built in Astoria, Oregon, and launched on April 24, 1983. Its first name was Lurdine. This name honored two old sternwheelers from the late 1800s, the Lurline and the Undine.
The Lurdine started offering tours from Astoria on July 3, 1983. Newspapers said it was the "first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades" on the Columbia River. It was designed to look like historic sternwheelers and has a 10-foot (3.0 m) paddle wheel. This wheel is powered by a diesel engine.
In 1985, some people in Portland bought the Lurdine. They started a new company called the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. This was the same name as a famous old riverboat company! In June 1985, they moved the boat to Portland and renamed it Rose. The Rose began offering cruises on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers from Portland. It can carry up to 49 passengers. Since then, the Rose has mostly cruised on the Willamette River.
The Columbia Gorge
The M.V. Columbia Gorge is a 145-foot (44 m) sternwheeler. It cruises on both the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. This boat was built in Hood River by Nichols Boat Works and launched on August 30, 1983. Its 17-foot (5.2 m) paddle wheel is powered by diesel engines.
The Columbia Gorge looks a bit like the old Bailey Gatzert from 1890. It's named after the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. The boat cost about $2.5 million to build. Part of the money came from the government to help bring tourists to the area. After getting approval, the Columbia Gorge took its first passenger trip on October 29, 1983.
The plan was for the boat to operate from Cascade Locks, Oregon in the summer. Then, in the winter, it would move to Portland and cruise on the Willamette River. The boat has fake "hog chains" on its top deck. On old boats, these posts helped keep the wooden hulls strong. On the Columbia Gorge, they are just for looks! This boat can carry up to 599 passengers.
The Willamette Queen
The Willamette Queen is an 87-foot (27 m) sternwheeler built in 1990. It operates all year long on the Willamette River from Salem's Riverfront Park. Even though it's based in Salem, it travels to Portland every five years for a special check-up.
This boat is a smaller version of old riverboats from the Mississippi River and the Yukon. It has two paddle wheels and can carry 90 passengers. The Willamette Queen takes 10,000 to 15,000 people on cruises every year.
The Queen of the West
The Queen of the West is a large 230-foot (70 m) sternwheeler. It was built in 1995. This boat offers cruises on the Columbia River from Portland and the Snake River from Clarkston, Washington. It has been owned by a few different companies over the years. In 2011, it was updated and made even better.
The American Empress
The American Empress is a huge 360-foot (110 m) diesel-powered sternwheeler. It was built in 2002. This ship used to be called the Empress of the North. For a while, it was based in Juneau, Alaska, but it also offered cruises in Oregon on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
In 2013, a new company bought the Empress of the North. They decided to rename it the American Empress. Starting in 2014, its new home port became Vancouver, Washington, which is right across the river from Portland. The American Empress now cruises the Columbia and Snake Rivers, traveling between Astoria, Oregon, and Clarkston, Washington.
