The USS Natchez [photo by Robert M. Parker], ca 1975
This unused postcard features a photograph of the Sternwheeler Natchez by Robert M. Parker. The card was published by Grant L. Robertson, Metairie, Louisiana and has the code: GLR-C-107 at the center bottom on the reverse. There is a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse: “Sternwheeler Natchez. The newest, largest all steel sternwheeler steamer excursion boat built in the U.S. in this century [1975]. She offers daily and nightly cruises on the Mississippi River, departing from Toulouse Street Wharf near Jackson Square.” New Orleans, City of Enchantment is found to the right of the blurb. Found above the blurb and along the left side margin on the reverse are black & white ink drawings of local New Orleans attractions.
The USS Natchez shown on the card is the ninth sternwheel steamboat with that name. The name comes from the Natchez people and the city, Natchez, located on the Mississippi River. In addition to the other steamboats, four naval vessels also used the name. This version was not modeled after the original boat. Instead, it was modeled after two other steamboats, the Hudson and the Virginia. It has materials taken from several other boats. The steam engines were built in 1925 for the steamboat Clairton. The steering system also came from the Clairton. A copper bell, made from 250 melted silver dollars, came from the SS J.D. Ayres. A copper acorn that fits on the bell was taken from the Avalon and the Delta Queen. The Avalon is now known as the Belle of Louisville. The wheel is made of white oak. The whistle was salvaged from a ship that sank in 1908. The Natchez is mostly made of steel to comply with U.S. Coast Guard rules.
The Natchez IX was temporarily out of service due to an onboard fire in 2022 that was put out by firefighters. Service was able to resume in 2023.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_(boat)
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