LeClaire, Iowa—A centennial birthday celebration and re-christening of the former steam-powered ferryboat, City of Baton Rouge, will be held on Saturday, May 28 at 1:00 p.m. on the LeClaire riverfront. The event is open to the public with an RSVP requested by email to info@riverboattwilight.com.
Hosting the celebration will be Captain Kevin and Carrie Stier, co-owners of the Riverboat Twilight. Local river historian Judy Patsch will serve as christening official. Travis Vasconcelos, riverlorian and acting docent, will give a performance on the calliope. Historical commentary will be provided by the editor of the S & D Reflector, Dave Tschiggfrie. Light refreshments and souvenirs will be available for purchase.
History of the City of Baton Rouge
The City of Baton Rouge was built in 1916 at the Howard Shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana, for the sum of $22,000. Operated by the Baton Rouge Transportation Company, she served as a ferry boat on the lower Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and Port Allen, Louisiana.
Her steam engines were manufactured in 1915 by the Gillett, Eaton and Squire Company of Lake City, Minnesota, and were required as part of the building contract to provide enough power to make a seven-minute crossing between the two landings.
She has a catamaran hull and was formerly powered by a single center paddle wheel. The City of Baton Rouge had a capacity for 500 passengers and 21 cars. She operated as a ferry until April 1968 when the opening of a new bridge over the Mississippi ended the need for ferry service.
About this time, Captain Dennis Trone was just beginning to realize his vision of building an authentic steam-operated riverboat. By November 1968, Captain Dennis Trone had completed the purchase of the City of Baton Rouge, and she was on her way upriver to Dubuque, Iowa, to have her steam engines, paddlewheel and other equipment salvaged for use on Trone’s new steamboat, the Julia Belle Swain.
While at the shipyard in Dubuque, the City of Baton Rouge was remodeled to function as a dock boat for Trone’s new excursion boat company operating out of Peoria, Illinois. A ticket booth was added, a full kitchen and food storage area was built in place of the center paddle wheel, the main deck was opened up to provide a sheltered area for passengers waiting to board the Julia Belle Swain, and eventually the upstairs passenger area was divided into small staterooms to house the crew.
On the evening of August 9, 1980, a strong thunderstorm—some say it was a tornado—blew through downtown Peoria, and the resulting winds tore off the old pilot house and damaged the roof, forever altering the iconic look of the historic ferryboat.
In 1987, the City of Baton Rouge was lashed to the front of Trone’s newest excursion boat, the Riverboat Twilight, and Trone’s fleet (the Julia Belle Swain, the Twilight, and the City of Baton Rouge) traveled downstream to Grafton, Illinois, and then up the Mississippi River to LeClaire, Iowa. The trip of almost 435 river miles took three full days. Traveling through the night required excellent piloting skills as the Twilight was most definitely not designed to do the work of a tow boat.
Once the trio arrived at LeClaire, the City of Baton Rouge was permanently moored to the shore and began her third career as the home dock for Trone’s Mississippi River cruise operations. She continues to this day to serve as a passenger boarding area for the Riverboat Twilight. She also serves as storage area, workshop, and crew accommodations. Her second deck has the best seat in the house to watch LeClaire’s annual TugFest fireworks.
During the centennial re-christening, in addition to celebrating 100 years of service for the City of Baton Rouge, we will also re-dedicate her to her last “captain”— Captain Harry Alsman, who passed away in August 2014. One of the first LeClaire residents to come down to the riverfront to welcome the new riverboats to town, Alsman ended up with a second career, lifelong friends and countless memories.
He and his wife, Joanie, assumed responsibility for the City of Baton Rouge and the grounds where she was moored. Joanie started a beautiful garden, and Harry made sure the boat looked her best and was present to welcome every passenger.
Harry Alsman hauled the lines back to the wharf, waved to the passengers at every departure, and was always on time to throw out a line when the boat returned to the City of Baton Rouge. He knew every crew member and often just shook his head at their antics. He drove the crew to the bus station, the mall, the doctor, the hospital, and anywhere else they needed to go. He was a father figure, a shipmate, a co-conspirator, but most importantly, a friend to everyone.
Musician John Hartford famously asked “Where does an old-time river man go?” We don't know the answer, but we do know that at the end of our voyage, Harry Alsman will be standing at the home dock, ready to throw us a line.
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