Jefferson City got a riverboat casino Monday night - The Kanesville Queen. But rather than taking the shirt off your back, it's here to get its own top removed.
Newt Marine in Dubuque, Iowa, recently bought the boat from Harrah's Council Bluffs Casino and Hotel. It has served as the casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, since 1996, according to the Council Bluffs newspaper, The Daily Nonpareil.
Newt Marine hired Capital Sand Company in Jefferson City to tow it here, where its top two levels likely will be scrapped, said Capital Sand President Steve Bohlken.
Capital Sand started bringing the boat here last Wednesday and it arrived in Jefferson City on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, people were already curious and inquiring about it.
"As soon as people got to work this morning, they probably said, "What the heck?'" Bohlken said.
After the boat's top two levels are removed, it will likely be brought back toward St. Louis, then up the Mississippi and back to Dubuque. There it could be stripped of parts lower in the boat such as generators, electrical parts and heating/cooling systems.
But the plans aren't final yet, Bohlken said, and could change, for instance, if a buyer steps in during the process.
Bohlken said the boat hasn't been easy to tow. Since Capital Sand couldn't push it and still see over the top, it had to use guide boats beside it, he said.
Harrah's recently spent $10 million to replace the aging Kanesville Queen with a new, land-based casino boat, the Nonpareil reported. It said the Queen was no longer needed after state lawmakers approved land-based casinos in Iowa several years ago.