WWI

World War I often sent the Mayo brothers to Washington, D.C., and left the Minnesota docked for all but two short trips in 1918. When time allowed, Dr. Will continued to entertain ordinary folks and dignitaries, including former President William H. Taft. Built for pleasure, the Minnesota also was a strong competitor. Going upriver from New Orleans, her crew spotted an excursion boat, the Majestic, about five miles ahead. In the grand tradition of the great river, the race was on.

“Its uniqueness can be better appreciated when it is recalled that the beautiful Minnesota is the last and only boat of its kind on the river.” Guest

“Clouds of smoke poured from her stacks ... on swept both boats,” a guest wrote in the logbook. The race lasted about five hours. Dr. Will's boat won “to the pleasure of the entire crew and the satisfaction of all the guests.”

Yet the price of coal continued to rise and the maintenance costs for the steel hull - which needed to be scraped and painted each year - caused Dr. Will to consider a new boat by 1920. He had read about a new engine produced by Bethlehem Steel and a hull design that helped boats draw less water; the construction of more fixed bridges on the Mississippi had him thinking about a boat with a lower profile.

>> North Star 1922-1938