The Lt. Robert E. Lee riverboat, a fixture as a floating restaurant on the St. Louis riverfront for decades, was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
First-arriving fire crews found the vessel engulfed in flames. They were delayed by two inoperable hydrants nearby. The blaze sent up a plume of gray-black smoke that could be seen for miles.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Fire officials said they expected the boat to smolder at least through the evening because its hull contained a foam substance that is highly flammable.
As the flames died down around 4 p.m., the three-decked boat had completely collapsed onto itself and was distinguishable only by its massive red paddle wheel.
That part of the riverfront in St. Louis is not on Route 66. But with the riverboat’s proximity to the Gateway Arch and other attractions, it was visited by scores of Route 66 travelers over the years.
The Lee was built in 1969 on top of the hull of a 1930s-era vessel and opened as a restaurant shortly thereafter. The Lee closed and reopened several times in the 1990s before being moved to Kimmswick, Mo., in 2004. It closed there and was towed back to St. Louis in 2006. The riverboat was going to become an attraction in St. Charles, Mo., after undergoing renovations.
Here’s a photo gallery of the Robert E. Lee.
The Robert E. Lee was special to me not only because of its proximity to Route 66 but because of my other passion – Civil War living history. Over the years, I have attended a number of 1860’s balls and the annual Robert E. Lee Birthday party they used to hold on the boat every January. One of my fondest memories is of being on the boat in January and watching the ice float on the river. It is very sad to think it’s gone.