DAZZLING MARK TWAIN

[HostDave]

Born on November 30, 1835 as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the man who became famous as Mark Twain is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest American writers and humorists of all time and his The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, penned at the age of 50 and as a sequel to his 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, has been crowned by some critics as the greatest American novel ever written. That’s pretty high praise for a man who started out his career as an apprentice to a printer although he did start writing articles for his brother’s newspaper at one point. But his true love was the Mississippi River and eventually he achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a riverboat pilot. It was during his time on the river that he took the pen name of Mark Twain.

As his fame soared and more stories and novels ensued, he met the world’s great political and industrial leaders and was honored by each, including royalty throughout Europe. Not bad for a kid who grew up in little Hannibal, Missouri watching steamboats paddle by and dreaming of a life on the river. His legacy lives on around the world, with schools named for him, the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, postage stamps with his likeness, and his works as required reading for almost every student in the nation.

His boyhood home of Hannibal is one of the ports of call for the American Queen. The actual house he grew up in has been preserved and caves that inspired parts of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are now part of tours. In fact, inspiration for his works has become a cottage industry in Hannibal. The home of Laura Hawkins, who is said to have been the model for Becky Thatcher, has been lovingly restored. And if there was nothing to restore, that hasn’t stopped those dedicated to chronicling Twain’s life in three dimensions. A few years ago, the home of Tom Blankenship, supposedly the inspiration for Huckleberry Finn, was reconstructed from scratch.

Mark Twain’s legacy isn’t just in the tourist industry of Hannibal, his works, or the perception of steamboats; it’s part of the American consciousness. In fact, his notable Life on the Mississippi is one of the best sources today for firsthand (albeit humorous and often exaggerated) accounts of what life was like aboard the great steamboats of the 1800s. His descriptions even found their way into the design of the American Queen.

Her lines are modeled after the best features of the steamboats of the day as described by Mark Twain. The soaring two-deck J.M. White Dining Room is named after and inspired by the grand hall of the 1878 dreamboat J.M. White which Twain lauded as the most beautiful and elaborate riverboat the Mississippi had ever seen. Thanks to Twain’s descriptions of the calliope, there was never any thought given to building the American Queen without the quintessential steam-powered piano. Appropriately, a comfortable and quiet room often used for playing cards and reading is named in his honor; the American Queen’s Mark Twain Gallery is one of the most popular spots on board.

But despite the attention to detail that the American Queen’s designers incorporated in her design, our flagship has a level of opulence, grandeur, comfort and amenities that would be unrecognizable to Mark Twain. The cuisine in the J.M. White Dining Room is of far higher quality than even the finest boats of the 1800s, the recipes more creative and refined, and the service far more polished. Air conditioning is a modern marvel unknown to Mark Twain who would envy the comfort found in every public room and on every deck.

He would be baffled by the American Queen’s powerplant. For though she uses traditional steam power to drive her mighty 65-ton bright red paddlewheel, the water is heated without using coal or wood. Standing on the shore, Mark Twain would have no idea how the American Queen could be moving up and down the river without thick plumes of black smoke emerging from her fluted smokestacks. And though he would recognize the mechanisms that allow the smokestacks to retract so the American Queen can get under low bridges and power lines, one step in the pilothouse would leave him utterly gob smacked at the lights and display screens that monitor the boat’s fire alarms, sprinkler system, navigation aids, engine power and GPS system.

In Twain’s day, communal restrooms were de rigueur and to call the tiny six foot-by-six foot boxes that passed as accommodations “staterooms” would be laughable today. The American Queen’s 21st century en suite bathrooms, soaking tubs, hot water, electric lights, flat screen televisions, private balconies and plush bedding would be utterly alien to his 19th century sensibilities. It would feel as though he had been plucked from a field and dropped onto a cloud.

The Grand Saloon, the American Queen’s two-deck entertainment space modeled after a small town opera house, would be a wonder to Twain’s eyes. The sophisticated lighting system is a far cry from the candle-lit stage lights of the showboats that plied the Mississippi 150 years ago. And though he might recognize our bluegrass and jug bands, the big band music, rock and roll, Elvis-themed cruises and Broadway-style entertainment we offer would dazzle him into silence.

You can see that though Mark Twain’s depiction of life on the Mississippi is the inspiration for our onboard product and the stories told by our Riverlorians, his works and words are not taken literally in every detail. The spirit of Mark Twain lives aboard the American Queen, but his ghost would find that the modern amenities that grace this grandest of all riverboats were unimaginable in his time. Contrary to popular 19th century belief, it is certainly possible to dazzle Mark Twain.