CINCINNATI — All aboard the steamboat Natchez! Built in 1975 to resemble the pocket boats of old, the vessel is one of two remaining steam-powered riverboats in America and is back in Cincinnati for the first time in 20 years.
The ship is the ninth steamer to bear the name Natchez and hails from New Orleans. It typically moseys up and down the Mississippi River offering jazz and dinner cruises, but it recently made a weeklong cruise northeast to paddle on the Ohio.
The Natchez is one of nine riverboats from seven river cities participating in this week’s America’s River Roots Festival. The country’s other operational steamboat, the Belle of Louisville, is also in town for the event.
Steven Nicoulin, the Natchez’s captain, gave us a behind-the-scenes tour a day after docking at the Cincinnati Public Landing.
"The steam engines on the boat are actually 100 years old. They were built in 1925, came off the Steamer Clairiton," Nicoulin said. "The boat itself is very special. They call it the racehorse of the river. She's very fast. She's undefeated in steamboat racing. She's a great handling boat. She's got the look. We're looking forward to showing her off up here."
WATCH: See our behind-the-scenes tour of the Steamboat Natchez and its calliopes
Steamboat races are as old as steamboats themselves. The Natchez's last race took place on Valentine’s Day 2003, with the boat paired against the American Queen Steamboat, one of the fleets of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. It was a charity race with proceeds going toward the renovation of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.
Nicoulin said the Natchez can hit a top speed of 16 miles per hour, or 13.9 knots.
"She's quiet," Nicoulin said. "Normally, on a lot of propeller boats, you feel a lot of vibration. This boat is smooth, just glides through the water. Big, wide open decks on her. It's just like going back in time. You know, if Mark Twain were alive, he'd be right at home on here."
We walked through the main deck up to the boiler deck, which boasts ample outdoor seating. The ship can hold up to 1,235 passengers. The band plays on a stage on the third deck, also known as the Hurricane Deck. Nicoulin said it’s called that for a simple reason.
"Just the weather," Nicoulin said.
Next up was the Texas Deck.
"That's where all the state rooms were. The biggest was the 'Texas Room' because (everything's bigger in Texas)," Nicoulin said.
The band isn't the only music on the steamer. Mounted on top of the ship are two historic calliopes, both built in Cincinnati.
Like riverboats, the instruments are reminiscent of a bygone era, producing sound through steam whistles. They are loud and can often be heard for miles.
Matt Dow, director of marine operations and part-time calliope player, gave us an exclusive look. His family owns the New Orleans Steamboat Company.
When the Natchez launched on its maiden voyage, it set sail with a unique calliope. Colorful lightbulbs flash with each press of a key on the keyboard, illuminating the steam as it rises from the whistles.
"They call it the aurora effect. Because when the steam's all lit up and the lights are dancing around in it, it resembles the aurora borealis, the northern lights," Dow said.
Dow purchased the red calliope from American Cruise Lines in 2022, and after necessary renovations on the ship, finally had it installed and piped into the ship's steamline a few days before the trip up for America’s River Roots.
"I said, 'We have to have this instrument on when we go to Cincinnati. We've got to bring her home,'" Dow said.
Thomas J. Nichol built the red calliope sometime between 1900 and 1910. Nichol worked for the Van Duzen foundry in Cincinnati, making church bells and steamboat whistles. Most of the calliopes that exist today were built by him.
"He is regarded as the premier calliope builder," Dow said. "They were known for their very mellow, sweet tonal quality because he built his whistles out of a mixture of copper and brass."
The whistles on the colorful calliope are made only with brass. Unlike the colorful calliope, the red one does not have electronically operated solenoid valves. Each key requires 8 pounds of pressure to trigger the whistles.
Dow said the red calliope's novelty doesn't stop there.
The instrument started on the Steamer Sidney, which operated out of New Orleans in the early 1900s. Many notable jazz musicians got their start on the steamer.
"After Storyville closed, which was the redlight district down in New Orleans, all those jazz musicians didn't have clubs that they could go play at anymore. So, a lot of them turned to the river. They knew that all those excursion boats and tramping steamers had great bands on them," Dow said.
A young cornet player found himself on the Steamer Sidney. That young man was Louis Armstrong.
"So, this calliope came off the boat that Louis Armstrong started on," Dow said.
Armstrong's band leader on the boat and the man who taught him how to read sheet music was Fate Marable. The legendary pianist played the Cincinnati-made red calliope on the Sidney.
"It meant a lot to us to bring the instrument back to Cincinnati, because it was born here, but also because of the jazz music history that is associated with this instrument in particular," Dow said. "To be able to give it a voice again, to be able to put it on steam after — I think the last time it was on steam was in 1992, '93."
Before our tour wrapped up, Dow played a song on the red calliope. It was the first time the historic instrument had been heard in Cincinnati in at least 80 years.
