Old Riverboat Landing

Old Riverboat Landing. . The Green River linked the nineteenth-century Mammoth Cave community to the rest of the world. Kentucky pioneers found it less expensive and more efficient to transport large loads by Green River than by horse and wagon over rough overland roads. The coming of the L&N Railroad in 1859 made it faster and cheaper to haul goods by train, so steamboat owners offered popular tourist packages in an effort to replace lost revenue., People often cruised from Evansville or Bowling Green to Mammoth Cave. Newlywed couples spent honeymoons relaxing on the Chaperon during four-day cruises that offered handsome quarters, fine dining, and romantic moonlit evenings. Some steamboats employed musicians to entertain guests, and others carried traveling shows and small circuses to communities along the river., [Caption]: “There was a packet that came up the river and would bring tourists. One time my Dad and Mom were down there and the captain took us all through the boat. The motor just fascinated me. It was clean as it could be, absolutely sparkling clean, all the metal parts of the engine. That was the only time I was on that boat, but they came real often.” , Louise Ferguson Hanson , Born August 16, 1912 , Grew up on the ridge behind you.