June 2004

CSPRA Book Review
by Jenan Saunders

King and Queen of the River: The Legendary Paddle-Wheel Steamboats Delta King and Delta Queen from Roaring Twenties to New Millennium
by Stan Garvey (Reprinted courtesy of The California Council for the Promotion of History)

King and Queen of the River is truly an uplifting story, one sure to please every one of us who feels that deep commitment to the preservation of our past that comes with calling ourselves historians. In this book, Stan Garvey (formerly with Sunset Magazine, who spent years, many of them full-time, researching the history of the Delta King and Delta Queen) weaves a story of perseverance against all odds, of two ships that survived despite the innumerable obstacles placed in their paths. And, as Garvey shows, that survival was not a miracle, not something unexplainable, but rather the result of many, many individuals making the choice to care about and commit to the preservation of these two legendary paddlewheel steamers (although it could be argued that one or two minor miracles took place along the way). King and Queen of the River was granted an Award of Merit for Publication by the Sacramento County Historical Society. It also served as the inspiration for an episode of Huell Howser's California's Gold.

Garvey's book chronicles the intrepid journeys of what would ultimately become the last steamboats to carry passengers and freight on California waters and the only survivors of what was at one time a significant American industry--the "night boat" or overnight ferry. From the decision to build the ships and their construction in the mid-1920s, through their years as passenger and freight steamers, then as service boats in the U.S. Navy just before and during World War II, these first chapters are pleasurable, and fun, reading, despite the rigors of the Great Depression and then the war years. The following chapters are more difficult to stomach, at least for this reader, who has grown up seeing the beloved Mothball Fleet in the Carquinez Straits dwindle depressingly during my lifetime. They begin with these two ships, which had experienced so much history, so many stories, floating amidst other cast-offs after World War II, hovered over by their monstrous military counterparts. We witness the departure of the Delta Queen and her risky journey through the Panama Canal to then serve as a pleasure ship on the Mississippi River.

In stark contrast against this happy-ending for the Queen, at least thus far in the book, Garvey tells the story of the decline of her King. The machinations over ownership and legal disputes between parties that fill the next few chapters can lead to the reader feeling a little bogged down, but that is all part of the story of how the King ultimately came to rest in Old Sacramento. The story here is much enlivened by coverage of the 1969 piracy of the Delta King by concerned citizens who saw themselves as liberators of what had at this point become a neglected and dying relic. Here the King enters an optimistic period as funds are raised by the Riverboat Comin'! organization to ultimately purchase and restore the ship. However, the Delta King is once again to leave its Sacramento home, this time by court order, and endures two sinkings, one of which lasted 15 months, before being literally raised from the grave and brought back to life by dedicated individuals who this time succeeded in making the ship the floating hotel, restaurant, and conference center we know today.

The book closes with an account of the narrow escape made by the Delta Queen from "death by regulation" and a touching, if sentimental, conclusion. Interested readers will appreciate the historical context Garvey provides for this story, briefly in the Foreword by George W. Hilton and in more detail in the book's Prologue. The book's many illustrations--photographs, diagrams and plans, maps, and various paraphernalia, including menus, newspapers, programs, advertisements, etc.--lend much to entertain the eye and bring life to the text. The use of side-bars also serves as a convenient means of highlighting specific material. The book has an extensive and useful index. It does not have notes nor a detailed bibliography (this consists of about two dozen published works). The author obviously conducted extensive research in newspapers and archival collections, as well as what appear to be countless interviews, and the interested reader would be well-served to have been provided information on these sources. However, as this book does not purport to be an academic work and is not intended to serve this function, these failings can easily be overlooked by readers, who will appreciate this story for its life and vitality, intrigue and intricacies, and ultimately for its positive message.

It reminds all of us that a little ingenuity and great commitment to the cause of preservation, as well as an almost inhuman amount of patience, can persevere in the end. Even though history may yet prove correct the statement made by former crew member James E. Reimers that "The Delta King and Delta Queen were ahead of their time--but too late," this reader would argue that right now seems to be the perfect time for the revival, and survival, of these majestic ships.

King and Queen of the River: The Legendary Paddle-Wheel Steamboats Delta King and Delta Queen from Roaring Twenties to New Millennium. 75th Anniversary Edition. By Stan Garvey. Menlo Park, CA: River Heritage Press, 2002. 274 pages; index, bibliography; paperback, $15.95. King and Queen of the River can be found in Sacramento at many of the city's museums. It's also available onboard the Delta King and at other museums throughout Northern California. For information call 650 322-1420. The book can be ordered by phone at 800 852-4890.