Julia Belle Swain

Julia Belle Swain at La Crosse, 2007
History
NameJulia Belle Swain
OwnerTroy Manthey
RouteMississippi river
Ordered1971
BuilderDubuque Boat & Boiler Works
StatusRestoration in dry dock
General characteristics
TypeSternwheeler
Tonnage98
Length122.5 feet (37.3 m)
Beammolded 23 ft (7.0 m), over guards 26 ft (7.9 m)
DraftWater: 3.3 ft (1.0 m); Air: 46.9 ft (14.3 m)
Depth5.7 ft (1.7 m)
Installed powerSteam
Capacity149

The Julia Belle Swain is a steam-powered sternwheeler currently under restoration in La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States.[1]

Designed and built in 1971 by Capt. Dennis Trone, the Julia Belle was the last boat built by Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works of Dubuque, Iowa. The boat's steam engines were built in 1915 by the Gillett and Eaton Company and originally installed on the central wheel ferryboat City of Baton Rouge. The engines have logged well over a million miles.

The steamer prominently featured in various cinematic adaptations of Mark Twain's literary works – firstly in 1973 movie Tom Sawyer (as the River Queen), the 1974 movie Huckleberry Finn.,[2] and also in the opening and closing titles of the 1979 television series Huckleberry Finn and His Friends.

"Margie"
Performed on the steam calliope of the Str. Julia Belle Swain
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The Julia Belle was formerly based in Peoria, Illinois in the 1970s and 1980s, making short excursions on Peoria Lake and two-day round trip cruises to Starved Rock State Park. Singer-songwriter John Hartford ("Gentle on My Mind") was a frequent guest pilot and often mentioned the Julia Belle in his songs, and penned a song named for the boat that appeared on his Mark Twang album. The boat ran excursions on the Ohio River at Evansville, Indiana, during parts of 1975 and 1976.[3][4] Later, the boat ran on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Julia Belle, smaller and nimbler than some of its sisters on America's rivers, has entered the Great Steamboat Race twice, in 1975 and 1976. She won in 1976, beating better-known vessels such as the Delta Queen and the Belle of Louisville.[5]

The Great River Steamboat Company owned the riverboat starting in 1995.[6]

In 2009 the owners of the Julia Belle Swain canceled their season because of the slow economy, and considered putting the steamboat up for sale.[7] In 2013, the Julia Belle Swain was allowed to dock temporarily at Riverside Park in La Crosse.[8]

The riverboat remained still, docked for five years on the backwaters of the Mississippi near the railroad bridge, until it was sold in 2013 to the newly formed, not-for-profit Julia Belle Swain Foundation which had the intentions of restoring and preserving the boat. The restoration soon turned into a rebuild which included a new boiler system, new generators, new wiring, gutting the interior, improving the insulation, and new windows, etc., however, the only original piece used is the frame. The new interior was intended to be more period correct and the steamer would have once again been "Trone Fabulous" as she was originally built. After the remodel, the foundation expected to keep this attraction in La Crosse to hold weddings and other events.[9][10][11] The restoration of the Julia Belle Swain cost over $2.6 million.[12]

In September 2021 the nonprofit put the boat up for sale for about $1 million.[12]

In September 2022 the Julia Belle Swain was sold by the Julia Belle Swain foundation to new owner Troy Manthey, who plans to finish the restoration started by the foundation, and use the boat for Mississippi river cruises.[13][14]

  1. ^ "Julia Belle Swain". Pinnacle Marine Corporation. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  2. ^ Tarter, Steve (August 4, 2015). "Julia Belle Swain, formerly of Peoria, heading back to river duty". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Julia Belle Swain will stay in Peoria, not in Evansville". Evansville Press. November 15, 1977. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. ^ "9465 ride boat first three weeks". Evansville Press. May 14, 1975. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. ^ "Great Steamboat Race History". Kentucky Derby Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
  6. ^ "Julia Belle Swain". Steamboats.org. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Cahalan, Steve (April 1, 2009). "Boat for sale? Owners won't operate Julia Belle Swain this summer". La Crosse Daily Tribune. La Crosse, Wisconsin: Lee Enterprises.
  8. ^ Julia Belle Swain to dock in Riverside Park temporarily
  9. ^ "Remembering the Julia Belle Swain". Douglas J. Swanson, Ed.D APR. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  10. ^ WKBT. "Julia Belle Swain moving closer to completion". Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  11. ^ Collins, Bob (August 3, 2017). "Saving the Julia Belle Swain". MPR News. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Shelley, Tim (September 28, 2021). "Want To Own A Piece Of Illinois River History? The Julia Belle Swain Is Up For Sale". WCBU Peoria. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  13. ^ Kosirowski, Ken. "New Julia Belle Swain owner details plans for riverboat's future". News8000.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Shelley, Tim (September 9, 2022). "Spirit of Peoria pairing up with Julia Belle Swain in La Crosse, Wis". WCBU Peoria. Retrieved October 12, 2023.