At this time a year ago, the future looked bright for the Elkhart River Queen. Last June, the historic river boat finally got back out onto the water with new engines after years of being grounded.
But now the 75-year-old boat is facing an uncertain future due to a dispute between the boat’s operators and the owner of the property where it is currently docked.
Since repairing its engines, the River Queen has docked at the end of Bowers Court, which is off of Jackson Road just east of downtown Elkhart. Bowers Court is essentially an alley with a narrow strip of road leading down past a handful of houses to a small parking area where the River Queen is docked.
The queen has docked there for many years when it’s been running and the property is owned by Ed Smoker.
Smoker’s uncle actually helped build the River Queen in 1948 and Smoker owned and operated the boat for over 20 years. But now the 87-year-old has done an about face and is demanding the Queen be removed.
In January Smoker’s attorney gave the nonprofit that owns River Queen until March to move out, but dam repairs delayed the annual raising of the river’s water level so the deadline was extended to Saturday.
Smoker told WVPE the area around Bowers and Jackson is too busy with traffic, saying the boat has outgrown the area.
"The town has outgrown the River Queen, it’s just too crowded down there. It’s common sense,” Smoker said.
Smoker said he still loves the Queen, but said he’s no longer willing to work with Tom Shoff — the boat’s main operator — since he believes Shoff is trying to buy the dock property out from under him.
Shoff has bought three properties on Bowers Court directly south of the dock, which he says he intends to raze and turn them into a parking lot to better accommodate customers.
Shoff is an officer with Historic Elkhart River Queen Inc. — the nonprofit which owns the boat. From Shoff’s perspective, Smoker’s eviction notice came out of nowhere and puts the river boat’s operations in peril.
“This caught us by total surprise,” Shoff said. “There is no other place on the upper St. Joe River to keep her.”
The two men say they haven’t spoken in months and gave a he-said-she-said rundown of retorts to WVPE ahead of a Saturday deadline Smoker has issued to move the boat.
Smoker says Shoff owns more properties further east near the Six Span Bridge that would be better to dock the boat, but Shoff replied that won’t work due to the high water table and plans to build a new bridge there.
Shoff also claims the nonprofit has been willing to buy the current dock, but that Smoker has gone back on the deal. In response, Smoker says Shoff communicated with his son — and not him — about that process.
Tensions are even higher when Smoker last week paid for a jackhammer crew to demolish a walkway leading out to the boat. That put Shoff on edge, though he is resolved not to move the boat without a court order.
“We’re not moving the boat,” Shoff said. “So he would have to sue us to get rid of us.”
Unsurprisingly, Smoker feels differently.
“I’m not angry at anybody. I love the River Queen,” he said. “It just needs to go down the river some place.”
