Now the Belle of Louisville spends her days at the 4th Street Wharf.
Since she was renamed, the Belle has offered cruises to nearly seven
million people and shows no signs of slowing down, as she is constantly being checked upon, tested and updated.
“In 2008, we air conditioned the ballroom of the Belle,” said Harris.
“It’s very subtle. It doesn’t look historic, but you don’t even notice it.”
When the steamboat was undergoing renovation, a marine architect
company was consulted to make sure the Belle had good stability.
Between winter repairs and summer cruises, the Belle staff is
always on duty. They also operate the Belle’s sister ship, the Spirit of
Jefferson. Throughout the year, the two boats get different times to
shine such as Thunder over Louisville, holiday cruises, Valentine’s
Day dinners and more. Still, Captain Doty said his favorite event
of the year has to be the Kentucky Derby’s Great Steamboat Race.
“That’s the one day out of the year where the Belle really gets to
shine. People line up on both sides of the river banks to watch her.”
“They did a thorough examination of the Belle, and found that
she was a little overweight. Her paddle wheel was sitting a little low
in the water. So we replaced iron sewage tanks, and took off more
than 2,000 pounds in stages,” said Harris.
This year, the Belle of Louisville will take center stage for a celebration of her own. Although the boat is a regular attraction to
Louisville, visitors from all 50 states and 21 foreign countries visited
the Belle in 2013. So this October celebration promises to bring
something unique to the Louisville waterfront.
In addition to the famous red paddle wheel, the Belle has two
reciprocating engines which turn the wheel, put on in 1914 but
dating back to the 1880s. The engines were recently re-drilled and
rounded out for efficiency.
“For the festival, the Louisville Convention Bureau is expecting
approximately 350,000 over the six days and an impact of more
than six million dollars,” said Harris. “Don’t miss the Belle’s birthday
party. It’ll be a once in a lifetime event.”
“The Smithsonian sent a letter 20 years ago wanting these engines
for their transportation museum, but they’re still waiting and they’re
going to be waiting a long time,” said Harris. “There’s no reason this
boat could not have another 100 years in her”
For ticket information and event planning, visit
www.festivalofriverboats.com. There, guests can find all the information they might need on the Belle of Louisville’s 100th Birthday
Celebration.
The Belle of Louisville has no modern navigation systems inside,
and only about seven people in the world could operate the Belle
at first glance, Harris explained. One of those is current Master
Captain Mike Doty who has worked on the Belle since July 7, 1981
when he began as a deck hand.
“There’s no one who works with the Belle very long who doesn’t
fall in love with her,” said Harris. “When you hear that paddle wheel
swishing, you know she has a heartbeat. She has a soul. She is just
something you love.” LM
“We have a legacy program trying to bring younger people up,”
said Doty, who’s taken countless trips in his 33 years on the Belle.
“Because it takes a year to learn. Even if you have a 500-ton license,
it takes a year to learn to operate the Belle’s ins and outs.”
Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater
Louisville Medical Society.
SEPTEMBER 2014
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