In their heyday, the steamboat was king of the U.S. rivers and inland waterways. Some carried cargo. Some carried people. Some carried both.

The most famous were the showboats, floating palaces of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They included theaters, galleries, ballrooms and salons. Many were designed with rococo wood flourishes, lavish interiors and trappings of velvet and brocade.

Their passengers ranged from finely festooned gentry to mountain men, river tramps and gamblers. On board, there were shows and dances. Liquor flowed and gambling was a way of life.

Tall tales were spun as massive stern wheels churned the waters to move the Showboat gracefully forward. Steam-driven calliopes played to announce the showboat's arrival at ports, which was always an event.

Today, steamboats still exist in one form or another in most of the 50 states. One of the originals, The Delta Queen, meticulously restored and home-ported in New Orleans, is preserved as a National Landmark.

The Queen, along with her twin, The Delta King, were built along the River Clyde in Scotland from 1924-27. They were used first as ferries in California.

The Belle of Louisville, an excursion and dinner cruise attraction out of Louisville, Ky., was built in 1914 in West Memphis, Tenn.

The Natchez offers both day and night excursions from its port in New Orleans.It was built in 1975 as a replica of her predecessor, which plied the Mississippi in the late 1800s.

For more than two decades, the great ladies of the river have participated in the Great Steamboat Race, an annual event of the Kentucky Derby Festival, held this year on April 30.

In 2007, the Belle of Louisville won against the Delta Queen and the Belle of Cincinnati. As in the past, the winner got the trophy of the Golden Antlers along with the bragging rights for the rest of the year.