A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

The River: A young boy loved the sights, smells, sounds of the river and learned lessons for a lifetime

(The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. The is the third of his now long-standing columns, first published December 25, 2017. Purchase your The River book below. Merry Christmas to all!) By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune Walter Hoffmeier’s houseboat, the PAL-O-MINE,...

The River: Whistles have a special place on boats and there are so many stories to tell about them

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. This story was first told in December 2018. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune In 1971, when the DELTA QUEEN lay moored below the BECKY THATCHER, formerly the U. S. Army Corps of Engineer’s...

The River: Just another adventure for the books as friends and river rats come to the rescue

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. It first appeared in December 2019. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune According to the weather reports I’ve been following, there’s no snow forecast for Christmas this year. Old...

The River: Memories of winterizing the steamboats for the season and other historic times on the river

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. It first appeared in December, 2019. See below on how to order his 264-page hardback book, a collection of his historic columns. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune Back when I was steamboating,...

The River: Youngsters do find their way to a good life on the river as ‘whispers of the water’ call out

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune The first boat I completely commanded was the P. A. DENNY Sternwheeler on the Great Kanawha River in Charleston, West “By God” Virginia....

Over the river and through the woods, to someplace we’ll be going this holiday — and mostly by car

AAA is projecting that over 717,000 Kentucky residents will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, from Wednesday through Sunday, up just slightly from 2022 travel numbers for the Bluegrass State. They will be among the 55.4 million Americans expected to travel, the third largest Thanksgiving travel numbers nationwide since 2001. As usual, the wide majority of those travelers will be...

The River: More details on Capt. Sanders’ book ‘River rat to steamboatman, riding ‘magic river spell’ . . .

By Judy Clabes NKyTribune editor We’ll get back to our regular The River columns soon, but we want to share updated information on the new hardback book now available of Captain Don Sanders extraordinary storytelling that captures and preserves an important history. The River is now available for online purchase at kycpsj.com. You can find also find The River at all Roebling Books locations,...

The River: Great news for history buffs and river rats — Capt. Sanders’ river columns now a hardback book

By Judy Clabes NKyTribune editor A fascinating journey that started for Captain Don Sanders and The Northern Kentucky Tribune began on a fateful day in 2017 when he wrote his first “The River” column that has appeared here almost every Sunday since. I had become acquainted with his engaging storytelling through his Facebook posts about his vast river experiences and have become more fascinated...

The River: Revisiting (and celebrating) storytelling about a maritime life — and more is coming

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This was published in November 2020 — and, the NKyTribune is happy to say, the great stories have continued. There will be more to tell — and surprises ahead. Stay tuned. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune Earlier...

The River: Chasing Belle of Louisville (from land with Black Beauty), taking photos, embracing memories

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. This story was first told in October, 2020. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune Nothing beats the resonance of a steamboat whistle echoing off the hills along the Ohio River....

The River: No slackers, loafers, or goof-offs welcome on a good crew where every hand is needed

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. It first appeared in October, 2020 By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune Typically, what is the first command given on deck when the Captain says it time for the steamboat to...

The River: Some short tales about life aboard river steamboats; remembering the people behind them

By Captain Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune (The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders is sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This story was first told in 2019.) The Captain’s Table Yes, I do recall Captain Wagner telling visitors that the heavy Officers’ Table on the DELTA QUEEN came off the Steamer...

The River: A young boy finds adventure (and life lessons) — meets some characters along the way

By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune (The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. For warm memories, the story — one of Capt. Don’s first — was first published in the fall of 2017..) The MARJESS bobbed calmly on the outboard side of the dock at...

The River: Agreeable October prompts memories of ‘Licking River Ramble’ and Fredericks Landing

By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune (The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders is sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This story was first published in October, 2021.) October’s always been my favorite month since I came into the world on an October Saturday more than eight decades ago. So far, this...

The River: As a second grader, he was glued to the radio listening to the tragic news of the Island Queen

By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune (The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders is sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This story was first told in 2021.) I was born before television became a required fixture in every American home. Radio provided the primary contact with the world beyond our family home...