St. Elmo Devonian News
Published: October 12, 2006

Hello Dolly, It's Nice to Have You Here Where You Belong.
The President Riverboat is listed on the National Historical Register. It was built in 1924 and will be restored to around the WWII era. The boat was famous as a platform for famous jazz musicians. Louis Armstrong played on the boat many times and even lived on the boat for a while. The last famous band to play on the President was U2.
The boat is presently moored on the Mississippi River at Alton. It will be disassembled and moved to St. Elmo's Tower Lake. The boat will be set on concrete pilings at the south end of Tower Lake. A "chain" type motel will be built next to the Riverboat to provide additional rooms
Mr. Campbell wants to get the project started as soon as possible. The city council, the mayor, and Chief Thomason have worked very hard with the Campbells over the past months; and the work is just starting. A press conference will be called in the near future to make the announcement to the public.