Open House in Chester, Illinois
Aboard Corps’ Largest Diesel Towboat
On Saturday August 15th, the Corps of Engineers Largest Diesel Towboat "Mississippi" docked at the Chester Riverfront. A three hour open house was held and nearly 780 visitors participated. In speaking with Corps Officials, Crew and Boat Volunteers (from the National Great Rivers Museum in Alton, Il) they were overwhelmingly impressed by the steady flow of visitors from the Chester area and towns even as far away as O'Fallon, IL. It was a beautiful but warm August day. The Chester Tourism Commission set up nearby at the Riverfront Park to hand out free flavored drinking water which was donated by our own Chester Dairy. A big "Thank You" goes out to the Dairy for their generosity. Below are pictures taken during the open house. We hope the "Mississippi" will stop and visit Chester again. We appreciate the Corps of Engineers, Crew and Boat Volunteers for stopping in Chester, IL. |
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Built in 1993 by Halter Marine, The motor vessel Mississippi is 241 feet long, 58 feet wide and five stories high. Three 2100-hp diesel engines power the vessel. It is also a passenger boat. I has 22 staterooms and can accomodate 150 passengers. The vessel’s primary mission is to move barges in support of bank stabilization work on the lower Mississippi River. However, each spring and late summer, the Mississippi River Commission conducts a series of public meetings aboard the vessel, with the late summer trip including the St. Louis area. The Commission, established by Congress in 1879, holds the meetings to maintain a dialogue, and to exchange viewpoints and ideas with its stakeholders and the public. |
