- Julia Belle Swain
The Julia Belle Swain is a steam-powered sternwheeler currently operating out of
La Crosse, Wisconsin , USA.Designed and built in 1971 by Capt. Dennis Trone, the "Julia Belle" is considered one of the most beautiful remaining steamboats.fact|date=October 2007 She was the last boat built by Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works of
Dubuque, Iowa . Her steam engines were originally built in 1915 by the Gillett and Eaton Company and originally installed on the central wheel ferryboat "City of Baton Rouge ". The engines have logged well over a million miles.The "Julia Belle" was formerly based in
Peoria, Illinois , making short excursions onPeoria Lake and two-day round trip cruises toStarved Rock State Park . The latesinger-songwriter John Hartford ("Gentle on My Mind .") was a frequent guest pilot and often mentioned the Julia Belle in his songs. Later, she ran on theTennessee River inChattanooga, Tennessee .The "Julia Belle", smaller and nimbler than some of her sisters on America's rivers, has entered the
Great Steamboat Race twice, in 1975 and 1976. She won in 1976, beating better-known vessels such as the "Delta Queen " and the "Belle of Louisville ". [cite web
url = http://www.kdf.org/events/event-steamboat.asp
title = "Great Steamboat Race History"
publisher = Kentucky Derby Festival, Inc.
accessdate = 2007-10-15]ee also
* "
Spirit of Peoria " — boat that later replaced the "Julia Belle Swain" atPeoria, Illinois References
External links
* [http://www.juliabelle.com/ Official site]
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