Sainte Genevieve riverboat arrives in Ottawa, with goal of providing tours soon

The Sainte Genevieve, a 149-passenger sternwheeler, docked Sunday where the Fox meets the Illinois River in Ottawa.

The boat soon will offer daily tours of the scenic waterway. Operated by the Ottawa Packet Company, tours could start in late May and, weather dependent, through late November or early December. During the off-season, the boat will be docked at Heritage Harbor, serving as additional event space in the winter months.

Gentry Nordstrom, owner of The Chrysalis Group Management and Realty, said he saw an opportunity to share Ottawa’s historic riverfront with tourists who are regularly making their way through the community.

Most trips will take place in the stretch of water between Starved Rock and Marseilles, with hopes of expanding to include longer duration trips that will show guests how the lock system works. Dinner cruises, featuring small plates from favorite local restaurants, and regularly scheduled live events also are expected.

Nordstrom partnered with Nathan Weiss, owner of Ottawa Millwork Company, to purchase the Mark Twain, which was docked in Cincinnati, Ohio, and already Coast Guard-certified and fully operational.

About a week into the trip of bringing the vessel to Ottawa, Weiss, along with the crew on board, encountered a bad windstorm, and the boat was blown into an outcropping of rocks near the shoreline. The vessel’s hull was breached, and quickly began taking on water. Luckily, they were able to get towed to a nearby quarry in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri — hence the boat’s new name.