Tourist sternwheelers of Oregon

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The sternwheeler M.V. Columbia Gorge, built in 1983, was one of the first replica steamboats built for tourism purposes in Oregon. Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge moving downstream in Cascade Locks in 2006.jpg
The sternwheeler M.V. Columbia Gorge, built in 1983, was one of the first replica steamboats built for tourism purposes in Oregon.

Since the early 1980s, several non-steam-powered sternwheel riverboats have been built and operated on major waterways in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, as river cruise ships used for tourism. Although configured as sternwheelers, they are not paddle steamers, but rather are motor vessels that are only replicas of paddle steamers. They are powered instead by diesel engines. The Lurdine (now Rose) was, when launched in 1983, "the first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades to [operate] on the Columbia River". [1] In the case of the 1983-built M.V. Columbia Gorge, the construction and operation of a tourist sternwheeler was led by local government officials who viewed the idea as potentially being a major tourist attraction, giving an economic boost to their area, Cascade Locks, Oregon. [2]

Contents

Background

The only operational sternwheel steamboat surviving in Oregon is the Portland, moored at Portland, Oregon, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the Portland is a tugboat and has never carried passengers on a regular basis. In the late 19th century and first part of the 20th century, a large number of passenger steamboats – both sternwheelers and sidewheelers – were operated on the rivers of Oregon and Washington, with many examples on the Willamette and also many on the Columbia River. However, with no such vessels surviving and operational in the late 20th century, interest in building and operating replicas began to develop, now geared towards attracting tourists with excursion travel, or river cruises.

Proposals to construct and operate a new sternwheeler on the Columbia became a serious proposition at least as early as 1974, when the commissioners of the Port of Cascade Locks began pursuing a plan to construct and operate a 150-foot (46 m), 350-passenger sternwheeler on the river. [3] However, not until 1983 did any plans for new sternwheel tour boats come to fruition, when two such boats – the Lurdine (now Rose) and Columbia Gorge – were launched. In the same year, the Port of Portland considered renovating the 1947-built sternwheel steam tug Portland for use as a tour boat. [4] That proposal was eventually dropped, because of the high cost of work required to satisfy applicable U.S. Coast Guard regulations. [5] The historic tug was renovated and returned to operating condition, but not converted into a passenger ship. [6]

Individual vessels

The boats and ships described below are listed in order of their completion, or launching. All operate, or have operated, in Oregon, but most have also operated in Washington (on the Columbia River, which divides those two states for much of its length) or in Alaska.

Rose

The sternwheeler now named Rose is a 65-foot (20 m) boat that was built over a nearly four-year period from 1979 to 1983. Constructed in Astoria, Oregon, by John Hendrickson, she was launched on April 24, 1983, and was originally named Lurdine. Her name was intended to honor two late 1800s sternwheelers, the Lurline and the Undine . [7] Lurdine was used for tour boat service based in Astoria, and when she entered service, on July 3, 1983, The Oregonian reported that she was "the first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades to [operate] on the Columbia River". [1] She was designed to emulate historic sternwheelers and has a 10-foot-diameter paddle wheel, [8] which is diesel-powered. [9]

The Rose in Portland in 2009 Sternwheeler Rose just north of the Steel Bridge in 2009.jpg
The Rose in Portland in 2009

In 1985, Lurdine was purchased by a group of investors in Portland who formed a new company named the Oregon Steam Navigation Company – a revival of the name used by the original Oregon Steam Navigation Company – which in June 1985 began operating river cruises on the Willamette River, from Portland, [10] and on the Columbia River, also from Portland. Lurdine was moved to Portland, renamed Rose, and began operating Portland-based Columbia River cruises in June or July 1985. [11] In the fall of the same year, she operated on the Willamette River, [10] including excursions through the Willamette Falls Locks at Oregon City, [12] and was moored at Portland's RiverPlace marina. [13] In subsequent years, Rose has usually been operated only on the Willamette. She has a capacity of 49 passengers. [10] [13]

Rose was sold to Willamette Sternwheel Navigation in early 2004 and continued to be based in Portland and operated on the Willamette. [14] Her mooring location was moved from Portland to Oregon City in 2010. [9]

Columbia Gorge

The Columbia Gorge on the Willamette River, in Portland, in 1987 Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge in 1987, on the Willamette River in Portland.jpg
The Columbia Gorge on the Willamette River, in Portland, in 1987

The M.V. Columbia Gorge is a 145-foot (44 m) sternwheeler in service on both the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. She was built in Hood River by Nichols Boat Works and was launched on August 30, 1983. [15] The motors driving her 17-foot (5.2 m) paddle wheel are diesel-powered. [2] [15] She was partially modeled on the 1890-built Bailey Gatzert and is named for the Columbia River Gorge. She was built for the Port of Cascade Locks, at a cost of around $2.5 million, of which $1.1 million was funded by federal grants secured by U.S. Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood, with a goal of boosting tourism in the area. [15] After some delay in obtaining certification from the U.S. Coast Guard, Columbia Gorge took her maiden passenger voyage on October 29, 1983. [16] The Port's plans were for the boat to operate on the Columbia River, out of Cascade Locks, during summer months and on the Willamette River, out of Portland during winter months. [16] Her design includes simulated hog chains, described in 1983 by The Oregonian as "upright posts on the top deck [which were] used on vintage boats to keep the hulls from vibrating and the wooden boats from warping", but which on this vessel are for appearance only. [2] She is certified to carry up to 599 passengers. [17] In the late 1980s, at least, M.V. Columbia Gorge followed the same seasonal pattern of operating out of Cascade Locks from mid-June through September and spending the remainder of each year in Portland, cruising on the Willamette, where she was joined by the Rose. [18]

On the morning of January 13, 2024, high winds caused the Columbia Gorge to break free of her moorings in Cascade Locks, resulting in damage to surrounding structures and the vessel herself. [19] Crews regained control of the vessel and piloted her downriver in winds up to 65 mph to the Bonneville Dam for safe mooring and assessment. [19] [20]

Willamette Queen

The Willamette Queen, pictured at her dock in Salem, Oregon, has twin paddle wheels. Sternwheeler Willamette Queen moored at Riverfront Park in Salem, 2010.jpg
The Willamette Queen, pictured at her dock in Salem, Oregon, has twin paddle wheels.

The Willamette Queen is an 87-foot (27 m) sternwheeler built in 1990 in Newport, Oregon, which operates on the Willamette River, year-round from Salem's Riverfront Park. [21] Although based in Salem, she makes a trip to Portland once every five years for a required periodic hull inspection. [22] She is a scaled-down replica of former Mississippi River and Yukon riverboats, with twin paddle wheels and a capacity of 90 passengers. [21] The Willamette Queen carries 10,000–15,000 passengers a year. [22] In March 2015, the boat was lifted out of the water to undergo repair work, expected to last until at least May. [23]

Queen of the West

The Queen of the West paddling in the Columbia near Hood River Sternwheeler Queen of the West on the Columbia River, 2006.jpg
The Queen of the West paddling in the Columbia near Hood River

The 230-foot (70 m) [24] Queen of the West was built in 1995 and operates cruises on the Columbia River, out of Portland, and the Snake River, out of Clarkston, Washington. She was built for the American West Steamboat Company, but was later sold to the Majestic America Line and, in turn, to American Cruise Lines in 2009. [25] She was renovated in 2011. [26]

American Empress

The Empress of the North passing under the Bridge of the Gods in 2005. The ship was renamed American Empress in 2014. EmpressOfTheNorth.jpg
The Empress of the North passing under the Bridge of the Gods in 2005. The ship was renamed American Empress in 2014.

The American Empress, formerly the Empress of the North, is a 360-foot (110 m) diesel-powered sternwheeler built in 2002 by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, of Freeland, Washington, [27] the same company that was founded in Hood River, Oregon, in 1939 and was previously known as Nichols Boat Works. [28] Although the Empress of the North was based in Juneau, Alaska (until 2013), and operated between Juneau and Seattle, she also operated cruises in Oregon that included the Columbia and Snake Rivers. In 2013, the Empress of the North was acquired by the American Queen Steamboat Company, which announced plans to rename her the American Empress and make Portland her home port starting in 2014, with cruises planned again for the Columbia and Snake Rivers. [29] The ship was rechristened American Empress in April 2014 and placed back into service cruising the Columbia and Snake, between Astoria, Oregon, and Clarkston, Washington. Her new home port is Vancouver, Washington  – which is directly across from Portland – rather than in Portland proper. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

American Empress Paddle-wheel boat

The American Empress is a 360-foot (110 m) diesel-electric powered paddle-wheeler that was formerly operated by Majestic America Line and named the Empress of the North. She was built in 2002 at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard on Whidbey Island, in the U.S. state of Washington, for $50 million and debuted as a cruise ship in 2003. She is listed as accommodating 223 guests, and originally cruised Alaska's Inside Passage, the Pacific Northwest, and the Columbia River. While being operated by Majestic America Line, the ship was decorated with a 19th century Russian theme, but with Alaskan touches in the form of carvings and masks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboats of the Columbia River</span>

Many steamboats operated on the Columbia River and its tributaries, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, from about 1850 to 1981. Major tributaries of the Columbia that formed steamboat routes included the Willamette and Snake rivers. Navigation was impractical between the Snake River and the Canada–US border, due to several rapids, but steamboats also operated along the Wenatchee Reach of the Columbia, in northern Washington, and on the Arrow Lakes of southern British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboats of the Willamette River</span>

The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point 101 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S. state of Oregon.

<i>Bailey Gatzert</i> (sternwheeler)

The Bailey Gatzert was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Columbia River and Puget Sound from the 1890s to the 1920s. This vessel was considered one of the finest of its time. It was named after Bailey Gatzert, an early businessman and mayor of Seattle, who was one of the closest friends and business associates of John Leary – the person who financed the ship.

<i>Altona</i> (sternwheeler)

The steamship Altona operated from 1890 to 1907 on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1907, she was transferred to Alaska.

<i>Hassalo</i> (1880 sternwheeler)

The steamboat Hassalo operated from 1880 to 1898 on the Columbia River and Puget Sound. Hassalo became famous for running the Cascades of the Columbia on May 26, 1888 at a speed approaching 60 miles (97 km) an hour. This vessel should not be confused with other steamboats with the same or a similar name, including Hassalo (1899) and Hassaloe (1857).

<i>R. R. Thompson</i> (sternwheeler)

R. R. Thompson was a large sternwheel steamboat designed in the classic Columbia River style. She was named after Robert R. Thompson, one of the shareholders of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, the firm that built the vessel.

<i>Gazelle</i> (1854 sidewheeler) American ship

Gazelle was an early sidewheeler on the Willamette River in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. She did not operate long, suffering a catastrophic boiler explosion on April 8, 1854, less than a month after her trial voyage. This was the worst such explosion ever to occur in the Pacific Northwest states. The wrecked Gazelle was rebuilt and operated for a few years, first briefly as the unpowered barge Sarah Hoyt and then, with boilers installed, as the steamer Señorita. A victim of the explosion was D.P. Fuller, age 28, who is buried in Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.

<i>Portland</i> (1947 tugboat) NRHP listed sternwheel museum ship

Portland is a sternwheel steamboat built in 1947 for the Port of Portland, Oregon, in the United States.

<i>Emma Hayward</i> Steamboat

Emma Hayward commonly called the Hayward, was a steamboat that served in the Pacific Northwest. This vessel was once one of the finest and fastest steamboats on the Columbia River and Puget Sound. As newer vessels came into service, Emma Hayward was relegated to secondary roles, and, by 1891, was converted into a Columbia river tow boat.

<i>Pomona</i> (sternwheeler) American steamboat

Pomona was a steamboat which operated on the Willamette, Columbia and Cowlitz rivers from 1898 to 1940. Pomona was specially designed to operate in low water conditions such as typically prevailed in the summer months in Oregon. Pomona was one of the few steamers that could regularly navigate to Corvallis, Oregon, which was the practical head of navigation on the Willamette. In 1926, Pomona was substantially rebuilt, and served afterwards as a towboat. In 1940, Pomona was converted into an unpowered floating storehouse.

<i>Grahamona</i>

Grahamona was a sternwheel steamboat built in 1912 for the Oregon City Transportation Company, commonly known as the Yellow Stack Line. Grahamona was specially designed to serve on the shallow waters of the upper Willamette River. It was one of the largest steamboats ever to operate on the upper Willamette. In 1920, Grahamona was sold and the name was changed to Northwestern. In 1939, the vessel was sold again, and transferred to Alaska for service on the Kuskokwim River.

<i>Elwood</i> (sternwheeler) Steamboat

Elwood was a sternwheel steamboat which was built to operate on the Willamette River, in Oregon, but which later operated on the Lewis River in Washington, the Stikine River in Canada, and on Puget Sound. The name of this vessel is sometimes seen spelled "Ellwood". Elwood is probably best known for an incident in 1893, when it was approaching the Madison Street Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The bridge swung open to allow the steamer to pass. However, a streetcar coming in from the east end of the bridge failed to notice the bridge was open, and ran off into the river in the Madison Street Bridge disaster.

<i>Jennie Clark</i> American steamboat

Jennie Clark, also seen spelled Jenny Clark, was the first sternwheel-driven steamboat to operate on the rivers of the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia. This vessel was commonly known as the Jennie when it was in service. The design of the Jennie Clark set a pattern for all future sternwheel steamboats built in the Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia.

<i>Black Hawk</i> (steamboat)

Black Hawk was one of three small iron-propeller driven steamboats manufactured in Philadelphia in about 1850 and shipped to the west coast of United States to be placed in river service. The other boats were Eagle and Major Redding. These boats were some of the earliest steamers to operate on the Willamette and Columbia rivers. They could carry about 12 passengers and perhaps a ton of cargo. The boats had to be small to make the run to Oregon City, which passed through the Clackamas rapids a short distance downriver from the town.

<i>Harvest Queen</i> (sternwheeler)

Harvest Queen was the name of two stern-wheel steamboat built and operated in Oregon. Both vessels were well known in their day and had reputations for speed, power, and efficiency.The first Harvest Queen, widely considered one of the finest steamers of its day, was constructed at Celilo, Oregon, which was then separated from the other portions of the navigable Columbia River by two stretches of difficult to pass rapids.

<i>Minnehaha</i> (sternwheeler) Sternwheeler steamboat

Minnehaha was a sternwheel-driven steamboat which was built in 1866 on Oswego Lake, then known as Sucker Lake, in Oregon, United States. Minnehaha was later transferred to the Willamette and Columbia rivers where it operated for the first part of the 1870s.

<i>Telephone</i> (sternwheeler)

Telephone was a sternwheel-driven steamboat built in 1884 by Captain Uriah Bonsor "U.B." Scott for service on the Columbia River. Reputedly the fastest steamboat in the world in its time, Telephone served on the Columbia River and San Francisco Bay. Telephone was rebuilt at least twice. The first time was after a fire in 1887 which nearly destroyed the vessel. The reconstructed and much larger second vessel was sometimes referred to as Telephone No. 2. The third vessel, Telephone No. 3, built in 1903 and using components from the second steamer was larger but little used during its time on the Columbia river.

<i>Orient</i> (sternwheeler)

Orient was a light-draft sternwheel-driven steamboat built in 1875 for the Willamette River Transportation Company, a concern owned by pioneer businessman Ben Holladay. Shortly after its completion, it was acquired by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. Orient was a near-twin vessel of a steamer built at the same time, the Occident.

<i>Relief</i> (1906 sternwheeler)

Relief was a stern-wheel steamboat that operated on the Columbia and Willamette rivers and their tributaries from 1906 to 1931. Relief had been originally built in 1902, on the Columbia at Blalock, Oregon, in Gilliam County, and launched and operated as Columbia, a much smaller vessel. Relief was used primarily as a freight carrier, first for about ten years in the Inland Empire region of Oregon and Washington, hauling wheat and fruit, and after that was operated on the lower Columbia river.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sternwheeler plies Columbia River again". (July 9, 1983). The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), p. F1.
  2. 1 2 3 Goranson, Eric (November 12, 1983). "Stern-wheeler's return brings boost to Cascade Locks". The Oregonian , p. B1.
  3. ↑ Senior, Jeanie (August 2, 1980). "150-foot stern-wheeler said marginal scheme". The Oregonian (Portland), p. A23.
  4. ↑ Goranson, Eric (October 11, 1983). "Port advised sternwheeler can be tour boat". The Oregonian, p. D9.
  5. ↑ Bella, Rick (May 27, 1992). "Sternwheeler tugs on Portland's hearts". The Oregonian, p. C1.
  6. ↑ Pickett, Nelson (October 10, 1991). "Famed stern-wheeler Portland undergoes transition to museum". The Oregonian (Portland edition), p. D2.
  7. ↑ Goranson, Eric (April 24, 1983). "Launching fulfills a dream". The Sunday Oregonian , p. D1.
  8. ↑ Goranson, Eric (December 8, 1982). "Sternwheeler readied for river: 65-foot vessel to haul Columbia tourists". The Oregonian (Portland), p. G1.
  9. 1 2 Pierce, Midge (May 19, 2010). "Sternwheeler Rose is star of LockFest at celebration of Willamette Falls Locks' reopening". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Linda (December 5, 1985). "Paddle boat shuttle service revived". The Oregonian, "MetroSouth Extra" section, pp. MS1 and MS4.
  11. ↑ "River Rose" (July 16, 1985). The Oregonian, p. D7 (photo and caption only).
  12. ↑ "Rollin'" (September 17, 1985). The Oregonian, p. D14 (photo and caption only).
  13. 1 2 "Mooring facilities limited for tour boat operators". (November 13, 1985). The Oregonian, p. D11.
  14. ↑ Kadera, Jim (May 13, 2005). "Oregon City adds sternwheeler river attraction". The Oregonian, p. E2.
  15. 1 2 3 Goranson, Eric (August 31, 1983). "Columbia Gorge paddle-wheeler launched". The Oregonian, p. D8.
  16. 1 2 Senior, Jeanie (October 30, 1983). "Stern-wheeler takes to river". The Sunday Oregonian, pp. A1 and B1.
  17. ↑ Senior, Jeanie (November 1, 1983). "Tour boat given OK". The Oregonian, p. B2.
  18. ↑ Rollins, Michael (August 21, 1987). "Stern-wheeler Portland sinks in oblivion". The Oregonian, p. B1.
  19. 1 2 Swindler, Samantha (January 13, 2024). "Cascade Locks sternwheeler breaks free of moorings in blizzard conditions". The Oregonian . Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ Cascade Locks sternwheeler breaks free of moorings in blizzard conditions (video), The Oregonian, January 13, 2024, retrieved January 16, 2024– via YouTube
  21. 1 2 "The Willamette Queen". Sternwheeler Excursions, Inc. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  22. 1 2 Gillespie, Emily (November 19, 2012). "The Willamette Queen's fate remains uncertain". Statesman Journal . Salem, Oregon. p. A1.
  23. ↑ Armstrong, Alexa (April 19, 2015). "Willamette Queen to remain in parking lot 2 more weeks". Statesman Journal . Salem, Oregon. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  24. ↑ "American Cruise Lines: Queen of the West cruises". Travel Weekly. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Queen of the West". Frommer's . Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Queen of the West". American Cruise Lines . Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  27. ↑ Frause, Sue (July 6, 2007). "Nichols Brothers Part of Ferry Building Team". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  28. ↑ Watkins, Amy (December 9, 2013). "Full steam ahead for Whidbey shipyard". The Herald . Everett, Washington . Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  29. ↑ Weissmann, Emma; Limone, Jerry (May 27, 2013). "American Queen Steamboat Co. buys Empress of the North". Travel Weekly. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  30. ↑ Richard, Terry (April 4, 2014). "American Empress returns to Columbia River cruising as West's largest riverboat". The Oregonian . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
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