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Detroit Welcomes Home The Ste. Claire |
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Thursday, 21 June 2007 15:06 |
The Detroit Free Press reports today that the 97 year-old Ste. Claire excursion steamer that ferried passengers through the Detroit River to the now-closed Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park will return to Detroit for the summer as part of the city's International River Days celebration. The Ste. Claire will be docked to welcome visitors until November 9. The Detroit Free Press will have a Web cam aboard for the trip up the river, sending back photographs every five minutes until the Ste. Claire reaches its destination.
The boat, now berthed in Toledo, OH is undergoing restoration. Non-operational, the boat will be tugged up the river for the celebration. The Ste. Claire and her older sister, the Columbia were fixtures on the Detroit/Windsor riverfront for nearly a century. The pair built an active service record of 81 years, the longest running single service in US maritime history. The Columbia, built in 1902, has been dry-docked in Ecorse, MI since 1991. A non-profit group has been chartered to raise funds to restore the Columbia as well.
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