Steamboaters return to Eagle River next week to explore Chain of Lakes

Puffs of steam and perhaps even the distant echo of a steam-powered calliope will again grace the Eagle River and Three Lakes Chain of Lakes next week, as enthusiasts return for the 34th annual Upper Mississippi Steamboat Meet.

The official dates of the 2025 meet are Monday through Saturday, Sept. 8-15. Seven boats are expected to attend, including the S/L Vividus which comes all the way from Pennsylvania each year.

The S/L Ruby, which is owned by Three Lakes residents Mike and Pat Apple, will be traveling the waters along with staples S/L Pinery Princess and S/L Necie, both from Wisconsin; S/L Steam Spirit from Minnesota; the aforementioned S/W Norman, equipped with its steam-powered calliopes; and S/L Huron, captained by event organizer Dennis Faist and his wife, Patti.

Headquartered at Wild Eagle Lodge, the group will be available for interested spectators to come see the fleet “steam up” at Lynx Lake docks on Wednesday, Sept. 10, around 9 a.m. before they embark on their day’s adventure at approximately 11 a.m.

Then the steamboat troupe is expected to pass by the T-docks in Eagle River around noon before heading to park by Riverside Park to enjoy some shopping and lunch in the downtown region.

For those who don’t catch them on Wednesday, they’ll be puffing around on the Chain a number of times throughout their visit as they explore the North Woods.