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| Paddle Wheel Queen Public Domain/State Archives of Florida |
By Jane Feehan
The Paddle Wheel Queen entertained a reported five million visitors in its 30-year history in Fort Lauderdale. The vessel many are familiar with is the Paddle Wheel Queen II. The original boat operated from West Palm Beach beginning in 1942 and was captained by Lucille Colyer.
Bruce Colyer, Lucille’s son, had the second Paddle Wheel Queen, also a Mississippi river replica, built in Dubuque, Iowa. He launched the 128-foot, three-deck Paddle Wheel Queen II in Fort Lauderdale in March 1965. It proved to be a popular 400-passenger entertainment venue that locals and area visitors equally enjoyed.
The boat sailed out of its dock south of the Oakland Park Boulevard bridge for two- or four-hour cruises and special events. A tour took passengers along the “modestly rich homes” along the Intracoastal in central Fort Lauderdale, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Bahia Mar, Port Everglades and to the once undeveloped area south of the port.
With the only charcoal grill galley of its kind, the Paddle Wheel Queen served steak dinners that garnered favorable newspaper restaurant reviews (and an A+ from me). Meal prices started early in its history at about $9 and topped out by the time paddles stopped turning at around $12. Early fares for the trips were less than $10.
Colyer retired about 1989 and stopped operating the same year. Lonnie Reeder and David Boyd bought the Paddle Wheel Queen II in 1992, remodeled and relaunched the business with blackjack bingo. The future looked promising. In December the same year, the boat was tapped the “Official Winterfest Boat” for the annual—and high-profile—Winterfest Boat Parade. Disney World dispatched Mickey and Minnie Mouse to take seats of honor on the riverboat.
Instead of a bright future, financial turmoil ensued. The business pulled up its gangplank May 31,1994 and sailed off to the Bayside Market Place in Miami for a brief “port” stop. It returned to Fort Lauderdale shortly after. The owners, according to news accounts, went $1.4 million into arrears and the Paddle Wheel Queen II was seized in March 1995 leaving ticket holders angered. The story ended in irony. Jerry Faber, president of Jungle Queen, a competing Fort Lauderdale tour boat that still operates today, reportedly mollified ticket holders with a free ride (until a possible settlement) on his riverboat.
Sources
Fort Lauderdale News, July 2, 1965
Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 11, 1972
Fort Lauderdale News, May 21, 1974
Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 24, 1978
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, July 8, 1991
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 30, 1992
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 16, 1992
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 1, 1994
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, March 28, 1995
Tags: Fort Lauderdale history,Fort Lauderdale tourist attractions, Fort Lauderdale in the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1990s