PIONEERING THE FUTURE

[HostDave]

The American Queen Steamboat Company is not the first company to offer voyages on the Columbia and Snake rivers. In fact, our newly-added and refreshingly-refurbished American Empress, formerly known as Empress of the North, first began sailing in 2003 under the house flag of a different company. With our updates, carefully-selected menu and friendly all-American crew, her 9-day voyages between Vancouver, Washington (across the river from Portland, Oregon) and Clarkston, Washington have been a big hit.

Sailing along the serene waters of the Columbia and gazing at golden fields, towering cliffs, rolling hills, impressive mountains and massive dams, the world seems simple, placid and perfect. But there was a time when this extraordinary scenery was not seen as a visual delight but as a reminder of the life-threatening hazards of traveling in the wilderness. And it’s safe to say that to folks like Lewis and Clark, the refined cuisine with fresh local ingredients, elegant décor, comforts of the suites and staterooms, and modern satellite navigational aids of the American Empress would be as alien to them as would warp drives and phasers if any of us were plopped down in the middle of the Star Trek universe.

For example, the wineries of the Pacific Northwest, which are a lovely background to our voyages, were not even a blip on the non-existent radar of the early pioneers. Just trying to operate riverboats on the Columbia and Snake Rivers was challenge enough.

Lewis and Clark, in their canoes and flatboats, pioneered the way for future steamboat operations a generation later. By most accounts, the first steamboat on the Columbia River was the Beaver, which arrived in Oregon City in the middle of the 1830s. Because the lower portion of the Columbia was deep, large steamships could sail upriver as far as Portland and nearby Fort Vancouver, explaining why the area grew to become the largest metropolitan area in Oregon and second largest in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle. With a sparse population from which to draw passengers, the Beaver’s voyages on the river were a solo act until the aptly-named Columbia, built in Astoria – one of the American Empress’ ports of call – joined the trade in 1850. At the time, journeys along the river were tentative, going only from Astoria to Portland and no further.

But the time savings over travel by horseback or wagon was considerable, and the steamboat trade flourished, even though the Columbia’s top speed was an anemic four miles an hour. But other boats followed and the top speeds climbed steadily upward, reaching a lightning-fast 12 miles an hour and cutting the journey time from two days to less than 12 hours. Later attempts at transplanting boats designed for the Mississippi River to the Columbia River generally failed as the currents, cargo requirements and fueling stops were substantially different along a wilderness river in comparison to America’s 19th century water superhighway. By the middle of the century, sternwheeler riverboats began to replace sidewheelers since they were easier to manage in such rugged conditions. That legacy was honored when the American Empress was designed in the 21st century.

Traveling farther upriver on the Columbia in the early years was hindered by the Cascades Rapids. Essentially there were two rivers that would require two sets of riverboats since crossing the rapids was impossible. Along the middle section of the Columbia, good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity took hold and in 1852 someone had the bright idea of dragging a riverboat along the banks of the river past the rapids in order to offer service in The Dalles area (also an American Empress port of call). Given the rural nature of the area, it’s not terribly surprising there weren’t enough passengers or cargo to justify the endeavor and soon the boat was returned to the lower Columbia River.

A second pioneer persevered, however, and dragged a boat past the rapids in the 1850s and it finally met with success, joined soon by a second vessel. It would take nearly another half century before a solution to the Cascades Rapids was found with the construction of a bypass canal.

If the Columbia was hard to tame, then the Snake River was viewed as a wild bucking bronco. Even today, much of its length is not navigable thanks to its steep drop and rocky banks and bottom. However, as farmers replaced fur trappers and explorers, the eastern portion of what would become the state of Washington played host to wheat fields. Their product was in high demand in cities such as Portland where it could be transshipped from riverboat to steamship and transported along the Pacific Coast. Finally, the pressure on the United States Government to do something about the wild condition of the Snake River grew too great and the Army Corps of Engineers began a long program in 1867 to determine the greatest hazards and best possible solutions. Over the following decades, boulders were blasted apart, channels dug, locks created and rapids eliminated, making navigation to the Pacific Northwest’s bread basket feasible.

Today of course, the American Empress and her route would be a wonder to the early fur trappers and steamboat operators. But the work of the pioneers to open the river to safe navigation is the legacy that survives to this day and which makes our cruises along the Columbia and Snake river possible. The idea of a boutique hotel gliding along the river, moving across hazardous rapids by mighty locks alongside dams regulating the river’s flow and generating electricity, was unimaginable. But the wilderness has now been conquered in inimitable style and we invite you to sample a bit of history as we sail firmly into the future on the largest and most glorious riverboat in the Pacific Northwest, our very own American Empress.

And if you make your reservations for one of our June voyages before June 20, 2014 and pay-in-full at the time of booking, you can save up to 50%.* Join us and explore lands that were once believed inaccessible and do so from the comfort of a modern hotel that sails through some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.

*Offer expires June 20, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Space cannot be held – full payment is required at time of booking to redeem this offer. This offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Offer of 50% savings applies to regular cruise fare only, regardless of cabin category, and is only valid on these 2014 American Empress voyage dates: 6/07, 6/14, 6/21 and 6/28. Offer valid on U.S. and Canada resident bookings only. Offer is not valid on Group bookings or existing reservations and cannot be combined with other offers, promotions or discounts. Cruise fare does not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details.