Breaking Barriers at the Belle: An Oral History with Kadie Engstrom
Last month, the Belle of Louisville Riverboats began recording a new oral history collection from long-standing staff members and veterans of the boats. You may know Kadie Engstrom from her fantastic narration on history cruises, or perhaps you remember her from a school visit as an educator! Kadie has worked with the Belle of Louisville…
Who Built the Belle? The Story of James Rees and Sons
In 1914, the West Memphis Packet Company commissioned the Idlewild. They had selected the best company in the United States to build the ferryboat they planned to use to transport people and goods across the Mississippi, James Rees and Sons of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Anyone who has been on the Belle has heard this much, but…
What does the Belle have in common with the Titanic?
Kids on the Belle, 110 years after it was first launched. The first experience of the Belle for many people is as a child, on a field trip. We love bringing school groups aboard every spring, and watching them look around in wonder. It’s some of their first experience on a boat, and for…
The Life Saving Service on the Ohio: a Short History
It may look peaceful now, but the Falls of the Ohio were once the most dangerous part of the Ohio River. This stretch consisted of 2.5 miles of whitewater rapids that split river navigation in half. It was the only obstruction in the Ohio River, all the way from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi. These rapids…