From the 2012 St. Paul Almanac “Can you kids be quiet for a minute? I think a towboat is trying to call me on the radio.” This morning the pilothouse of the Anson Northrup is packed to the gills and I am surrounded by elevenyear- olds. They are standing around my chair, crowded onto the…
The Lake Pepin Pearl Button Company
Turning an Antique Building into an Antique Store Dave Close stood before the vacant and ramshackle Lake Pepin Pearl Button Company building and gazed out at Lake Pepin. The pale brick building had stood empty for 85 years in downtown Lake City, Minn. Nobody was entirely sure what shape it was in, but Dave needed…
To the Gulf
Lady’s crew is all smiles before leaving SkipperLiner at La Crosse. Left to right: Bob Deck, Bill Peloquin, Gus Gaspardo, Kirk Manual from Louisiana, and Kurt Lichthardt from SkipperLiner. (Courtesy of Bob Deck) Many people dream of traveling the length of the Mississippi. When I’m driving the Padelford tour boats around St. Paul, nearly every…
Urban Shantyboats and a Flying Towboat: The Beginnings of Harris Boatworks
An old river man by the name of Bob Harris has been teaching me some history lately. As we talked I learned that he and I had worked on a couple of the same towboats — in different decades. He and his father built these boats, the Harry R. Harris and the Mike Harris, in…
Floating Works of Art
A riverboat pilot learns that art is hard work. Big River Magazine / September – October 2011 St. Paul — The wharf barge was a flurry of activity the afternoon of June 4 when I stepped onto the Jonathan Padelford. Most the fuss centered on the kickoff for the first Northern Sparks Art Festival. Throughout…