Sea ##going paddlewheeler has been in service since 1957 . The great paddlewheel turned the Ohio River water to a froth as the Delta Queen steamboat , a floating National Historic Landmark , departed Cincinnati , Ohio , on its final scheduled voyage this week . Boat is last steam - powered paddlewheeler providing overnight passenger cruises . Vessel receives new protection from 1960s federal law . Safety of Navigation Act bars largely wooden boats from overnight cruises .
Sea ##going paddlewheeler has been in service since 1957 . Boat is last steam - powered paddlewheeler providing overnight passenger cruises . Vessel receives new protection from 1960s federal law . Safety of Navigation Act bars largely wooden boats from overnight cruises .