BUILT: 1914 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by James Rees and Sons; renamed Belle of Louisville in 1962
FORMERLY: Idlewild; Avalon
OWNERS: Jefferson County (Kentucky) Fiscal Court
RIVERS: Ohio River; Mississippi River; Kentucky River; Green River
OTHER INFORMATION: Ways - 0524-A; The Avalon after purchase by the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Fiscal Court in 1962 was renamed Belle of Louisville with Louisville, Kentucky as her home port. On April 31, 1963 she ran a staged race at Louisville with the Delta Queen which the DQ won. Since that time the contest has become an annual event, scheduled a few days prior to the Kentucky Derby and the river's most popular sporting classic. In early 1968 the Belle was extensively rebuilt at Jeffboat, Incorporated acquiring a longer bow and increasing her overall length. At this time she was given three Western-style boilers. The paddlewheel continues to be driven by her original Rees high pressure engines installed at Pittsburgh when she came out new in 1915 as the Idlewild. The Operating Board feels obliged to keep her activities restricted to the Louisville area, although she has been making fall trips to Madison, Indiana and into the Kentucky River, up the Ohio River to Cincinnati and "south" to Green River. The continuing success of this novel municipal adventure is due partly to Captain C. W. Stoll, Clyde Glass and a few other dedicated residents of the Falls City. The Belle has been the "training ship" for many of the personnel who operated the Natchez at New Orleans and to a lesser degree for crews on the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen. Still in service as of February 1983