Carol Mullen
Loan of Paul Robinson
This intricate model of the steamboat G.W. Hill commemorates La Crosse’s river history in a big way.
The model is 10 feet long, 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide, and was constructed more than 60 years ago by Melvin “Mac” Frederickson.
It’s exceptionally detailed, with thousands of carved filigree railings lining multiple decks, tiny glass windows, spotlights, working pulleys, lifeboats and even a miniature calliope.
The actual steamboat G.W. Hill was built in 1909 by the Howard Shipyards of Jeffersonville, Indiana, for Granderson Winfrey Hill of Alexandria, Illinois. The wooden-hulled sternwheeler’s first job was hauling fresh apples from Calhoun County, Illinois, to St. Louis.
When Granderson Hill died in 1911, Captain D.W. Wisherd and Sam Gregory bought his boat. By May 1912, the G.W. Hill had been converted into an excursion boat for Wisherd Line, running between Davenport and St. Paul. It began offering trips out of La Crosse in June 1912.
While not the only excursion boat in La Crosse, the G.W. Hill was immensely popular, partly because of its spaciousness and luxurious appointments.
The boat was 190 feet long and 36 feet wide, and could accommodate 1,500 people. Its large cabins, steam calliope and dance floor made it sought after for day trips and evening excursions.
As a July 20, 1915, article in the La Crosse Tribune boasted, “The G.W. Hill is one of the commodious excursion steamers on this part of the river, she carries an orchestra that is famous for its dance music, and the dance floor is one of the largest and best on the river.” An Aug. 9, 1917, advertisement promoted a moonlight excursion, “Fare: Gentlemen 50 cents; Ladies 25 cents – Hill’s Concert Orchestra. Make one of these trips and enjoy the cool breezes on the river.”
Besides regular excursions from May to September, the G.W. Hill was frequently booked by church groups, clubs and business associations. A July 17, 1913, article in the La Crosse Tribune described a day trip to La Crosse by the Winona Grocers’ Association.
“Pettibone Island was besieged shortly after 11:30 this morning, when 1,500 persons comprising the Winona Grocers’ association arrived on the big steamer ‘G.W. Hill,’ some with lunch baskets, preparing to enjoy one of the coolest spots on the river for a few hours…When the steamer discharged its passengers on the island, it was run to the Wisconsin shore and docked at the foot of Main street that those wishing to spend the day in La Crosse might do so. The grocery stores of Winona were closed for the entire day, the whole city entering into the spirit of the grocerymen.”
The G.W. Hill flourished in the La Crosse excursion trade through the 1921 season. It was then sent to New Orleans and Pittsburgh. In 1923, it was sold to an amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Renamed the Island Maid, it ran excursions on the Ohio River until it burned in 1932.
This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on September 26, 2020.
