The Pearl

Constructed by Captain Virgil Gray in 1985 and christened the "Four Cs" for his daughters Colleen, Cheryl, Claudia, and Christine, the boat is 61 feet long and 24 feet wide and is a sidewheeler. It is constructed of steel and is powered by 2 diesel engines that operate the paddlewheels mounted on each side. A pilot wheel controls the steering rudders; Captain Gray liked the feel of mechanical rudders rather than hydraulic steering. The boat was eventually sold to Stillwater, MN where it was operated as The Andiamo. Tom and Ann Meeker purchased it in 2008, moved it to Muscatine, Iowa and operate it asThe Pearl Button Paddlewheel. It is the only authentic sidewheeler currently in operation in the entire United States.When the Coast Guard commissioned it in 1985, it was the first sidewheeler that had been commissioned in 100 years.