warwickland wrote:That's really neat that you got to ride on the Admiral on the river, I've see photos of it from the top deck while going under the Eads Bridge...
Sad to say that the Admiral has been scrapped. She was built on a much older hull and was coming apart, not to mention it was been gutted and filled with the casino for a while now. A number of the old riverboats up and down the Mississippi/Ohio river system are being scrapped/dismantled. End of a twilight era that really ended a generation ago. I only have vague memories of riding on what I think was the Goldenrod (built 1909) thats mothballed on the Illinois river.
I agree. I tried to find pictures of the massive decks on the inside, to little avail. I did find one link that reveals the Admiral's history, all new to me:
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/s ... dmiral.htm
Then I found a link that reveals a fellow voyager's memories of the Admiral in the 1950s, including a few pictures!
http://www.marilynkinsella.org/Marilyn' ... ou%202.htm
It was a wonderful trek back to the past. Of all the items she mentions and shows, the one that stands out in my mind is the Swami. He was truly magical, reminding me of the one in the Penny Marshall/Tom Hanks movie, "Big."
There were so many things to do on that boat. Something for everybody.
Thank you for prompting the good memories, Warwickland.