Imagine my surprise as I drove along the Illinois River and docked near Kampsville, north of Hardin, was the sadly deteriorating river boat, The Goldenrod Showboat. Its bright colors fading, its hull rusting and rotting, I so wanted to climb aboard and scout it out, but there were people and police up and down the highway on this busy and beautiful autumn weekend. The Goldenrod was a big deal back in the '70's on the St. Louis riverfront, ads on the radio and TV, the whole bit. Supposedly haunted, too. Then it moved to St. Charles, ended up tanking on the Missouri River bottom during low water, and it was all pretty much downhill from there. It's still designated as a National Historic Landmark. Like so many other sad, old structures, it's depressing to see such rich history disappearing before our eyes. You can read much more about the Goldenrod Showboat here:
http://www.steamboats.org/steamboat-pictures/showboat-goldenrod/showboat-goldenrod-history.html
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