Bill Menke News - The Waterways Journal

The Wenonah Wheel Mystery

Old Boat Column

The Wenonah Wheel Mystery

April 19, 2021

With the demise by fire of the Goldenrod Showboat in late 2017, an unsolved question remains concerning the big pilotwheel that was long displayed in the lobby area of the… Read More

Capt. Bill Menke, River Showman Restored after a fire, the Goldenrod Showboat lights up the levee in 1968 at St. Louis. (Keith Norrington collection)

Capt. Bill Menke, River Showman

March 5, 2021

John William Menke was born on August 3, 1880, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his family operated a saloon. In 1902, he went to Jersey City, N.J., where his brother Ben,… Read More