Taking a river cruise in Illinois

Abraham Lincoln, played by Freeport resident George Buss, waves as the boat pulls away from Hannibal, Mo.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

A rainbow shimmered in the sky as the boat left the dock in Havana, Ill.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

You won’t soon forget that Hannibal, Mo., is the hometown of author Mark Twain, whose name and visage are everywhere. The American Duchess, pictured here at the dock, spent a full day in Hannibal before heading back to Illinois.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The American Duchess didn’t have much room to spare when passing under a rail bridge near Chillicothe, Ill.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

High ceilings and soaring windows in the Duchess’ dining room give passengers a good view of the outdoors.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The boat passed a vibrant green island and remnants of a rainbow as it left Havana, Ill.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Migrating American white pelicans crowd a green swath of land on the Illinois River north of Peoria.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Bald eagles were a relatively common sight along the banks of the Illinois River.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The candy apple red paddle wheel at the back of the boat helps power the American Duchess.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Historical re-enactors take a stroll near the Duchess’ docking space in Peoria.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

A few birds linger on the banks of the Illinois River as the American Duchess passes by en route to Peoria.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Freshly picked, perfectly ripe peaches from Calhoun County were waiting for Duchess passengers when they disembarked in Grafton, Ill.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The Duchess enters a lock on the Mississippi River. The boat made a total of nine crossings through locks on its journey from Alton to Ottawa, with a side trip to Missouri’s Hannibal.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Abraham Lincoln, played by George Buss of Freeport, chats with a California couple aboard the American Duchess on a cruise through Illinois. “Lincoln’s Illinois” was the theme of the cruise.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Washington Square Park in Ottawa, the American Duchess’ final port on the “Lincoln’s Illinois” cruise, is home to bronze statues depicting Abraham Lincoln and political rival Stephen A. Douglas. The memorial commemorates the site of the first of seven Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

A Dixieland band gave the Duchess a musical welcome when the boat arrived in Havana, Ill., on a “Lincoln’s Illinois” cruise.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

One of American Queen Steamboat Co.’s hop-on, hop-off buses takes passengers through Hannibal, Mo.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The American Duchess approaches the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin, Ill.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Live music was played nightly in the American Duchess’ show lounge, which sometimes turned into a dance floor.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The staircase in the Duchess’ Grand Lobby was inspired by the 1980s television drama “Dynasty.” It leads to the Lincoln Library, a place where passengers can have a drink, listen to live music or read a book.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

The two-story loft suites on the American Duchess measure 550 square feet and include a private balcony.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

People in pontoons and smaller pleasure boats wave to the Duchess as the paddle-wheeler makes its way north of Peoria on the Illinois River.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

Passengers on the American Duchess’ “Lincoln’s Illinois” cruise boarded the boat in Alton, where we sailed on the Mississippi River past the floating Argosy Casino and towering silos.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )

A passenger soaks up the sun and the scenery on the top deck of the American Duchess as it cruises along the Illinois River.   (Lori Rackl/Chicago Tribune )