As the 94-foot Explorer sat at the dock next to the Carnegie Science Center on Thursday morning, the sky was gray, but spirits were up as Rivers of Steel readied its first public tour of the Three Rivers.
“While it’s blue skies most of the time, it’s still Pittsburgh,” joked Bill Flanagan, vice chairman of Rivers of Steel, before the Explorer’s departure. “It’s still cloudy.”
Mr. Flanagan, who is also chief corporate relations officer for the Allegheny Conference, said the tour would showcase industrial innovation of the 19th century as well as environmental innovation of the 21st. “Enjoy it, learn a little bit and most of all, spread the word,” he said.
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area was created by Congress in 1996 to preserve and manage the historic, cultural and natural resources related to steel and related industries that span eight southwestern Pennsylvania counties. In 2016, it acquired the assets of the nonprofit RiverQuest, which included its boat Voyager, a type of floating classroom that gave environmental tours to teachers and students.
August Carlino, president and CEO of Rivers of Steel, said it was always the organization’s goal to expand to the river.
“The great thing about our idea was that it was an idea,” said Mr. Carlino. “But we didn’t have a boat.” The riverboat, commissioned in the Florida Panhandle more than 10 years ago, was renamed Explorer, and refurbished to begin providing tours this summer.
The goal of the “PGH 101: An Intro to Innovation” 90-minute tour is to showcase an understanding of where we are today. Proceeds from the tours will help underwrite Rivers of Steel’s STEM-based education programs.
There are plans for summer camps aboard the riverboat and for regular tours to continue through the summer, with education being the primary focus. The boat also can be rented out for corporate events, weddings and more to bring in additional revenue.
Thursday’s tour was led by Sean Carroll, who shared anecdotes on everything from the number of bridges in the city to how Pittsburgh got its name to the history of Pittsburgh’s unique accent. The tour included the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny rivers.
He noted that conditions in mills used to be brutal and that when the steel industry declined, everyone was hurt. Many people left the city. Though there were many reasons for the decline of steel, Mr. Carroll said, a major reason was the lack of innovation. Today, he said, Pittsburgh thrives with new ideas.
One of the first things Mr. Carroll said as the Explorer left the dock addressed the future of industry. “We’re going to talk a lot about sustainability,” he said.
Rivers of Steel doesn’t just preach sustainability. The Explorer is a sustainable riverboat, the world’s first to have Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards applied to its engineering and construction process.
Capt. Ryan O’Rourke referred to the Explorer as the boat version of a Prius, with multiple sources powering the engine. The boat can accommodate up to 75 people on a tour. There are three restrooms; one is wheelchair accessible, as is the dock and gangway.
When the captain pulled the ship up to the dock on the North Shore, the skies were clear and the sun was out, serving as perhaps an omen to the Explorer’s future.
Tours on the Explorer are scheduled 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets purchased in advance online are cheaper than those purchased onsite. For children (4 to 17; under 4 is free), $12 in advance /$15 onsite; for students age 18+ with ID and seniors age 62+ $18/$21; and for adults, $23/$27. More information: https://www.riversofsteel.com.
Adam Duke: aduke@post-gazette.com or (412) 263-3772
First Published: June 22, 2018, 11:30 a.m.
