Queen Riverboat
| DISCLAIMER |
|---|
| Information on this site is unofficial. It is compiled by fans of Adventureland amusement park in Altoona, Iowa (near Des Moines). There may be inaccuracies and omissions. For official Adventureland information, visit the official website. |
See Newest Pages or all Recent Changes. | Join my Facebook Group. | About this site. | Blog | Contact me.
This page was last updated on 05/22/2020. Total Pages: 317. Total Files: 327.
Home / Extinct Rides - Queen Riverboat
|
| |
| Name | Queen Riverboat |
|---|---|
| Category | INFO NEEDED |
| Type | Boat Ride |
| Park Area | River City |
| First Year | 1974 |
| Replaced By | River City Smoke Shack |
| Riders | INFO NEEDED |
| Dispatch Rate | INFO NEEDED |
| Ride Duration | 20 minutes |
| About the Ride Info Box | |
Queen Riverboat was a boat "ride" in River City. It opened in 1974.
The boat previously sailed around Lake Okiboji. It was modified to run along a guide rail (true?) for Adventureland, similarly to the Rivers of America boats at Disneyland in California and The Magic Kingdom in Florida.
It was 15 feet wide and 74 feet long.
According to an early park post card, the journey was 20 minutes long.
When the Riverview area of the park was opened, a bridge to the island had to be built. This prevented the river from having a path the boat could use. According to guide maps in 1980 and 1983, the Queen was still there. It was listed as an "Attraction" rather than a ride at that point, and was grouped with other non-ride things like the Public School, Fire Station, and Mirror Maze. This seems to indicate that it stuck around a few years after 1979 and was just docked somewhere - possibly as a walk-on exploration attraction. Disneyland does similar things with its Sailing Ship Columbia, letting folks go on to it as a floating museum when it's not sailing.
Photos
Trivia
Boat dock still visible
The original dock platform was enclosed and is now the home of River City Smoke Shack. If you go to the seating area behind the building, you can still see some metal posts in the water which were there to guide the boat in to the dock. Some say the track is still along the riverbed, but I have been unable to confirm that. I'm afraid of water.
Flagship
The Queen was once the official flagship of the Iowa Navy.
Still there, sunken?
Internet postings suggest the boat was sunk and remains to this day at the bottom of the river. However, Adventureland workers have been seen wading in to areas of the river to retrieve guest items, so it seems unlikely it would have been made deep enough to sink a boat. Can anyone confirm?
External Links
- https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2350&dat=19730429&id=1uApAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BtoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=915,2219131&hl=en - article about Queen decomission.
- https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2350&dat=19730520&id=2eApAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BtoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=953,3505406&hl=en - article about Queen leaving for Adventureland.
- http://www.dglobe.com/content/boats-have-storied-histories-queens-presence-iowa-great-lakes-dates-back-1884 - 2010 article about Queen history, mentioning Adventureland.