Steamer President

The paddlewheel steamer, known as the Steamer President to New Orleans residents for over 20 years, made its home at the foot of Canal Street and provided tourists and party goers tours up the Mississippi River.

The keel was laid in 1924 being one of two boats. The original boat was christened the "Cincinnati".

The Louisville and Cincinnati Packet Company was the oldest steamboat company on the Western Rivers in 1923. The owners ordered two steam-propelled sidewheel packet boats to be completed in 1924. The cost for each was $417,000. They were the most expensive and luxurious packets constructed to that day.

The Louisville and Cincinnati Packet Company ordered the hulls from Midland Barge Company in Midland, Pennsylvania. They planned to finish the engine installation and superstructure work at Cincinnati. Finances were strained before the superstructure construction began. The hull of one of the two sisters was sold to the Coney Island Company of Cincinnati and completed as the excursion steamer "Island Queen". The other boat was completed as planned by February 25, 1924 and was named "Cincinnati".

The "Cincinnati" was bought by Streckfus Steamers in 1932. She was stripped and rebuilt from the hull up and became the "President" in 1933 as an excursion boat.