homeport: unknown
The Spirit of Peoria, now renamed Capitol and no longer located at Peoria, is a nice, detailed stern wheel riverboat built in 1988 by Walker Boat Yard, Paducah, KY. She has three decks and is 100 feet long and 35 feet wide. Her true paddle wheel is powered by two Caterpillar 3412 diesel engines that turn 350 kw generator sets. The generators move the chains which propel the wheel. A 7 feet maple pilot wheel is located in the pilot house for steering. She is nicely decorated in the old wedding cake style, including a captain’s bell and a brass tube telegraph. She also has an air operated calliope. The Capitol (ex Spirit of Peoria) is offering sightseeing, theme, charter and also overnight cruises.
The Capitol has been sold to Troy Manthey’s Yacht Starship Dining Cruises, Tampa, FL, and was moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, in April 2022, and further on to Steiner Construction in Bayou La Batre, AL, in December 2023 for refurbishment. She’s expected to be ready to run again in February or March 2024 while it’s now yet known where her new home will be.
Calliope
Pictures
