I was being dramatic. It's not dead yet, but I think it's obvious how many boats have left.

There doesn't seem to be any movement to bring back riverboats. Was there some issue with their presence? Was there a shared reason for the departure? It would be a huge loss to the character of the city to lose them all.

Riverboats in 1998/99?


McDonalds Riverboat


Casino Queen


The Admiral


Before the Admiral's move to the Landing


The Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer

I agree with you, Xing. Our riverfront is anemic and pathetic! We are the preeminent river city of the United States, yet no one would know it today.

Don't forget the Goldenrod:


The Huck Finn:


The President:

Who doesn't love a good riverboat?

...If there were money to be made on a riverboat, someone would be doing it? Probably the high insurance liability?

...There's a couple of great spots down at Jefferson Barracks, where my Army Reserve unit drills that has some amazing views of the M River set amongst WWII buildings and trees...Always thought the tremendous history of the Mississippi should/could be exploited...

...I remember some of these boats from the late 90s and frankly thought some of them parked in front of the Arch looked outta place and kinda trashy...Tho some of the pics above really are quite nice...

...A riverboat or two moored in front of Chouteau's Landing with something to commemorate the City's river history would be nice...KETC has aired some historical pieces put together in the 1950's that show actual footage of the hustle and bustle on the riverfront from the late 19th century...It looked pretty dirty and not a place to 'visit' but something to remember this history would make sense...

^why?...unless those smokey old boats are hiding wheels, they wouldnt be much use headed west...

Neat pictures, just not sure how 'park-like' they are...

We could light them on fire every May 17th. Think of the tourists it would draw!

^lol...actually a good idea if we had a few tanker trucks of Maull's to put the flames out...

...Of what little reading I have done, the river history is amazingly rich, entertaining and important (unless you were a minority of course, but we're seeing how all of that works out in the end (pretty darn good with miles to go IMO))...I'm not sure everyone who went west jumped on a riverboat in NOLA or Memphis and rode up to St. Louis...I thought many loaded up wagon trains, fueled up in St. Louis, then the smart ones stayed behind to make money and a decent life in the Lou while all the loony people took off west?? lol

But there is no question almost all early and mid 19th century prosperity and growth in St. Louis was due to river trading which put St. Louis square in the middle of everything...then the train and Chicago came...

Wooah woah wait a second... How many fast food riverboats did we have? I obviously remember the McDonalds boat, I kind of remember the Burger King boat, but we had a Taco Bell boat?

We just lost the Casino Queen, and we're losing the last few? When I was younger, I remember quite a few boats, and when I look at old photos I once wondered why they were angled. I know now it's because they had so many then.

There's just not as much demand to have moored boats to the riverfront today. Unless they're actually cruising up & down the river as excursion boats, they look little more than tourist traps.

Idea: A very good attraction would be a full riverboat in a dry-dock, set up like a museum piece. Visitors could view how the boat is put together, how the steam engines work the paddles, how comfortable they could be, the utility of them as cargo ships, and learn of their impact in developing this part of the US. Similar to how the Field Museum in Chicago can sport off a full Nazi sub (U-505), taken as a prize in the Atlantic.

Actually, this could be a great addition to the Museum of Westward Expansion...

Gone Corporate wrote:There's just not as much demand to have moored boats to the riverfront today. Unless they're actually cruising up & down the river as excursion boats, they look little more than tourist traps.

Idea: A very good attraction would be a full riverboat in a dry-dock, set up like a museum piece. Visitors could view how the boat is put together, how the steam engines work the paddles, how comfortable they could be, the utility of them as cargo ships, and learn of their impact in developing this part of the US. Similar to how the Field Museum in Chicago can sport off a full Nazi sub (U-505), taken as a prize in the Atlantic.

Actually, this could be a great addition to the Museum of Westward Expansion...

That sounds like a really good idea. If we can't keep the riverboats, we might as well create a riverboat museum in their memory.