Julia Belle Swain in La Crosse

The 44-year-old boat getting major restoration

The famed Julia Belle Swain riverboat comes back to La Crosse today.  

The 44 year-old boat, that was taken off the river several years ago, has undergone the first part of a major renovation in Iowa. 

The riverboat left Dubuque, Iowa, yesterday, getting a tow from a Brennan Marine tug. It will be taken upriver for the next stage of its restoration. 

The hull was the first part of the boat to get restored in the multi-million dollar effort.  In La Crosse, she’ll get renovation on every part above the waterline. 

A non-profit fundraising effort is behind the restoration on the only steam-powered riverboat on the upper Mississippi. There’s no firm date for the Julia Belle to actually go into service, but the goal is to have her back underway by next spring.