Lone Star Steamer: Building of shelter to begin in April

Font Size:

By Mary Louise Speer | Monday, February 19, 2007 11:49 PM CST | () comments

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — You can’t move the boat. You can’t undo the dry rot that made it fragile.

Still, the Lone Star steamer must be protected somehow. It’s a dilemma that architects and contractors are pondering while they plan a shelter for the wooden-hulled steamer on permanent exhibit at the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the shelter is set for Feb. 25. Completion of a 35-foot high shelter cannot come soon enough for the aged lady of the river who has seen too many rainy days. However, keeping the 66-ton boat intact during construction presents challenges because of the Lone Star’s delicate condition that has resulted from dry rot.

“The biggest concerns have always been dealing with the boat. Initially it was thought we’d want to move the boat out of the way — and put it back,” said architect Perry Gere of Gere Dismer Architects LLC of Rock Island.

But several experts who have examined the 138-year-old steamer have advised not moving it, he said. The best solution is to excavate underneath and shore it while pouring a concrete base, Gere said.

Basically, that process is similar to creating a basement under an existing house, he said. Construction crews will scoop out dirt underneath and secure the boat in a cradle to get the work done.

Build to Suit of Davenport will oversee the project as general contractor. Building a glass and metal structure over the Lone Star is “like putting the Figge (Art Museum) over the art work. Everything is in place, and we’ve got to protect and preserve it,” said Kevin Koellner, president of Build to Suit.

The work will begin in late April or early May depending on weather and take five to six months.

Contractors and subcontractors will need to coordinate the construction with the city’s streetscape and road project on U.S. 67 (called Cody Road) in downtown LeClaire and summer festivals such as the Tug Fest in August, he said.

Koellner is pleased with having a part in saving the boat.

“I don’t know if anyone’s done this in this area before,” he said.

The Buffalo Bill Museum raised $750,000 for construction of the shelter that includes a matching $250,000 grant from the Vision Iowa Board.

Museum curator Mary Ahlgren looks forward to having the job finished almost 40 years after the Lone Star sailed to LeClaire on its final voyage. The boat is a tangible reminder of the rivertown’s past history as the dwelling place of gutsy river pilots and crews.

“It’s really difficult to put yourself back in the late 1800s when there were hundreds of boats going up and down the river,” she said. “You see boats now, but you don’t see the multitude you saw back then.”

So many of the wooden hulled boats blew up or sank after getting snagged on underwater impediments, she said. The Lone Star is the last link to those many hard-working craft.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.