A Riverboat Odyssey - Astrid's Final Journey

The year was 1928, and the iconic paddlewheel steamers that had once been the crown jewels of the Mississippi were in their twilight years. The era of rambling river travel and romantic overnight voyages was rapidly giving way to the accelerated pace of an automotive age. But for Astrid Hansen, the lumbering leviathans still held an irresistible allure.

Six years earlier, at the age of 37, Astrid had embarked upon what seemed like a fanciful dream - leaving behind her family's humble Minneso...