Constructed and put into service in 1924, the Cincinnati, as she was originally named, was sold to Streckfus Steamers in 1933. After that, she was used as an excursion boat almost exclusively, with space for over 3,000 passengers. I haven't been able to find out when she came to New Orleans, but I remember that she was still in the city during the World's Fair in 1984. In 1981, she was sold to the New Orleans Steamboat Company (which also owned the Str. Natchez). A few years later, she was moved to St. Louis, MO and used there as an excursion boat until 1990. During her last years on the water, she was based in Davenport, IA and owned by the Isle of Capri Casinos.
After she was decommissioned, she was moved to the Yazoo Diversion Canal near Vicksburg, MS, in 2001, and remained there until 2003, her fate very much in question. In 2003, she was put up for sale and moved to McKellar Lake, near Memphis, TN. In 2005, she was purchased by someone in Illinois and plans were made to convert her to a hotel and restore her to her former glory. I haven't been able to learn if these plans came to pass.
Many New Orleanians have pleasant memories of the President---of afternoon cruises and moonlit dances on the Mississippi River. Whether cruising or at anchor, I hope she has the chance to make new memories for her guests for a long time to come. |
