More on the Grand Ole Opry on the Idlewild
Photo: Attendees disembarking from the Idlewild. Courtesy of Grand Ole Opry Archives The Grand Ole Opry on the Belle of Louisville In the summer of 1946, the Grand Ole Opry broadcast their show to over 130 NBC radio stations across the country from the Belle of Louisville – then known as the Idlewild – on…
Hidden History: Music on the Belle of Louisville
Steamboats were a popular place for entertainment throughout the years that they ruled America’s rivers. From the raucous showboats of the 1800s to the floating USO nightclubs of the World War II era, one of the best options for live music was on the water. The Belle of Louisville (and the Mary M. Miller) were…
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…