Showboat

For other uses, see Showboat (disambiguation).
The showboat Majestic was pushed by Attaboy, its towboat or pusher.

A showboat, or show boat, was a floating theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the river frontiers.[1] This special type of riverboat was designed to carry passengers rather than cargo, and they had to be pushed by a small pusher or towboat attached to it.[2] Showboats were rarely steam-powered because the steam engine had to be placed right in the auditorium for logistical reasons, therefore making it difficult to have a large theater.[3]

  1. ^ "Showboat". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  2. ^ "What is a Showboat?". WiseGeek.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  3. ^ Kreuger, Miles (1977). Show Boat: The Story of a Classic American Musical (First ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195022759.