From the Archives: Belle of Louisville takes on Delta Queen in first steamboat race
Two of the last authentic steamboats, the America and Cincinnati, raced upstream on the Ohio River from Louisville’s wharf on Aug. 19, 1928, to see which boat could reach Rose Island the fastest.
Once the dominant mode of transportation on inland waterways during the 1800s, these steam-powered vessels now were more of a novelty by the mid-1900s. It would be a 35-year wait till the next great steamboat race on April 30, 1963, when the re-christened Belle of Louisville would compete against the mighty Delta Queen.
“Delta Queen Accepts Challenge By Belle” was the Courier-Journal’s front page story on March 1, 1963, that detailed this "high-pressure" inaugural event. The Belle was an "aging" ship per reporter Marlyn Aycock as compared to her competitor, which was 12 years younger. Launched in 1914 as the Idlewild, the Belle was renamed the Avalon in 1948, but the boat ran out of luck (and steam) by the late 1950s and was auctioned in early 1962.
Jefferson County Judge Executive Marlow Cook acted as a riverboat gambler with taxpayer money, and won the auction with a bid of $34,000 (about $350,000 in 2024 dollars). Photos of the newly acquired Avalon appeared in the July 15, 1962, edition of the Courier-Journal Magazine.
On October 14, 1962, a Courier Journal article was captioned “Bottle Swung, Belle Is Born.” A photo depicted Cook watching Mrs. Lawrence Bates, wife of the Maritime architect who oversaw the sternwheeler’s restoration, splatter a 26-ounce bottle of French champagne on the hull. Several in the crowd of 3,000 also got a bit wet. One fascinating tidbit noted there was a small jail enclosure near the engine room for "drunken and disorderly sailors."
In mid-April 1963, several weeks before the big Derby week race, the Delta Queen docked briefly in Louisville. The captains of both ships did some river "trash talking."
"You’d better get that lawn mower (the Belle) out of the way because the Queen will swamp you" yelled Delta pilot Harris Underwood. Paul Underwood, the Belle captain, responded "My boat will beat your boat!." An ironic twist to this friendly back and forth — was that Harris and Paul were brothers.
Thousands of spectators lined both banks of the Ohio to watch this historic first steamboat race in 35 years. The smaller Belle was more maneuverable and could turn without stopping at Six Mile Island, unlike the Queen which was much longer. Unfortunately, a series of mishaps doomed the Belle from the start. From having difficulty in getting unchained from the wharf to then getting stuck in the mud due to shallow water, and finally losing steam from low boiler pressure, the Belle failed to catch up to the swifter Queen. Or, as the bold headline stated: “That Queen is a Fast Craft”. The Belle lost by a three-mile margin.
Cook’s gamble though has paid off handsomely. It’s been 61 years of steamboat entertainment. Since that inaugural race, there’s been a variety of boat competitors, questionable judging and theatrics, and a lot of spirited comradery among the crews and spectators.
The Delta Queen was retired after the 2008 race. Per the last news report, she is docked in Houma, Louisiana, (southwest of New Orleans), awaiting restoration.
Soon after the Avalon was purchased, the Courier Journal published an editorial that still rings true: “A river town should have a riverboat, by the same law of nature that says May should have apple blossoms and June should have brides.”
Steve Wiser is a local historian, author, and architect.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Belle of Louisville: A look back at the Ohio River icon
