Streckfus Steamers

The passing on July 14 of Capt. Bill Streckfus at age 88 brings to mind that he took special interest in maintaining the 32-note Nichol calliope that was perched high… Read More

I always learn something from the Old Boat Column—and also have the fun of my memory being kicked a little down the river. Keith Norrington’s article on Twilight on The Levee… Read More

During this final week of 2020, the Old Boat Column takes a fond look back 50 years to the summer of 1970, when the St. Louis levee was still a… Read More

When the steel hull of the steamer Idlewild slid into the Allegheny River at the James Rees yard on October 18, 1914, it is doubtful that anyone present had the… Read More

A familiar sight in the St. Louis harbor for nearly seven decades was the steam tug Susie Hazard. Built in 1891 at St. Louis for the Southern Coal, Coke &… Read More

On January 21, the river fraternity lost one of its most dedicated and notable members with the passing, at age 106, of Mary Ackerman Otte, of Quincy, Ill. She was… Read More

Taken 80 years ago, this week’s image for the Old Boat Column features the sidewheeler President. Originally built in 1924 for the Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Company as the Cincinnati,… Read More

Early September was typically the time when excursion boats began winding down the season. Undoubtedly, the most famous of firms that operated excursion vessels was Streckfus Steamers, of St. Louis… Read More