Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32JUNE 2016 • FOGHORN 27 VESSELPROFILE LEFT: Judy Patsch, noted riverboat historian, prepares to break the traditional bottle of campaign to officially complete the ceremony. RIGHT: Vessel owners Captain Kevin and Carrie Stier addressing the crowd at the re-christening of the City of Baton Rouge. PVA member River Cruises, Scales Mound, IL, celebrated the 100th anni- versary of the former ferry City of Baton Rouge on May 28 in LeClaire, IA, with festivities that included a re-christen- ing, food, music, and stories from river historians. Built in 1916 at the Howard Shipyard in Jeffersonville, IN, for $22,000, the 500-passenger/21-vehicle ferry was operated by the Baton Rouge Transportation Company. The steam- powered ferry provided service until 1968 between Baton Rouge and Port Allen, LA, a seven-minute crossing on the Mississippi River. About this time, Captain Dennis Trone was just beginning to realize his vision of building an authentic steam- operated riverboat. By November of 1968, Captain Trone had completed the purchase of the City of Baton Rouge and she was on her way up river to Dubuque, IA to have her steam engines, paddlewheel and other equipment salvaged for use on Trone’s new boat, the steamboat Julia Belle Swain. But, the life of the former ferry wasn’t over. While at the shipyard in Dubuque IA, the City of Baton Rouge was remodeled to function as a wharf boat for Trone’s new excursion boat company operating out of Peoria, IL. 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 even- River Cruises Celebrates Centennial Event for Former Ferry City of Baton Rouge tually the upstairs passenger area was divided into small staterooms to house the crew. When a strong storm struck—some claim it was a tornado—on August 9, 1980, the winds tore off the old pilot- house and damaged the roof, forever altering the iconic look of the historic ferryboat. Though damaged, the City of Baton Rouge proved resilient, and in 1987 it was lashed to the front of Trone’s newest excursion boat, Twilight, and Trone’s three-vessel fleet made its way down river to Grafton, IL and then up the Mississippi River to LeClaire. The trip of almost 435 river miles took three full days, traveling through the night and required excellent piloting skills as the Twilight was most definitely not designed to do the work of a towboat. Upon arrival, in 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 current owners Captain Kevin and Carrie Stier as a passenger boarding area, storage area, workshop, and crew accommoda- tions. Her second deck has the best seat in the house to watch LeClaire’s annual TugFest fireworks. n