Ready to return – the beautiful American Queen in her hey-day, and (below) her sumptuous public rooms
It was through here that the first French colonists explored in the 17th
century,
followed by the British in the 1700s. It marked the continental divide between Britain and Spain until, following the War of Independence, America acquired all the land to the west in the famous Louisiana Purchase, and fabled explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark used the Missis- sippi for their expeditions, too. The river went on to be pivotal in the
Civil War, and the steamboat era (as richly detailed by Twain) was firmly established as it provided the key to huge movements of people and goods. Even in the 20th
to be a major trade route – and a big cruise destination, not just for New Orleans at the mouth of the river but for hundreds of miles further north.
N cen-
tury, the Misi-zibi (an Ojibwe Indian word simply meaning ‘Big River’) has continued
ow it looks like this will once again be a terrific cruise choice in 2012 – and beyond. Especially
as both new operations look like offering a contrasting experience. The GREAT AMERICAN STEAMBOAT
CO has yet to announce its full itineraries for the refurbished 418ft stern-wheeler but has signed a major agreement to use the Beale Street Landing in the port of Mem- phis as its home base. Company CEO Jeff Krida, formerly of
the Delta Queen line, said the revived steamboat line would create 589 jobs and an estimated $89.5m a year economic impact. American Queen, currently in Beaumont, Texas, will be moved to a dry dock in Morgan City, Louisiana, for about $5million in repairs, mostly mechanical as it has been out of service for three years. Docking facilities at Beale Street Land- ing are expected to be completed by year’s end, in plenty of time for the Queen’s start- up next spring. A park component of the landing will be built next year. City officials credited the ‘Strong Cities, Strong Communities’ partnership with the federal government as instrumental in expediting the steamboat’s sale. The White
Autumn 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING
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