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The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Fact Sheet

Location: America’s River at the Port of Dubuque – Dubuque, Iowa

Opening date: River Museum currently open, renovated museum and new aquarium opens June 2003

Owned & operated by: The Dubuque County Historical Society’s Mississippi
River Museum

Management: Jerome A. Enzler, Executive Director

Features: The William Woodward Discovery Center is the aquarium component and newest addition to the River Museum. Established as the Mississippi River’s national headquarters interpretive center, it serves as the only facility of its kind in the world. Large fresh water aquariums, live animals, touch pools, stream tables, interactive theaters, living history demonstrations, the National Rivers Hall of Fame, a changing exhibit gallery and public archives make up the center. Animals include alligators, otters, turtles, fish, snakes, and much more.

The Fred W. Woodward Riverboat Museum is the original museum and the focal point for river history, riverboats and the home of the River of Dreams Theater. Constructed in 1902, the building was the original home of the Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works which manufactured some of the largest boats and paddlewheelers in the nation. Today, it is the only place on the Mississippi River for fascinating stories, Native American Indian exhibits, local history and art.

The Boatyard is the museum’s outdoor "hands-on" area featuring large steamboat artifacts, boat building demonstrations and a themed children’s play area. Visitors can even take part in the ceremonious "launching" of boats into the Port of Dubuque Ice Harbor several times a day.

William M. Black Boat & Breakfast is a one-of-a-kind exhibit and listed on the National Historic Register. The Black is a working dredge boat that once roamed the waters of the Missouri River digging up tons of mud and muck, making the channels safe for navigation. Today, it’s an integral part of the museum and an adventurous, authentic place for an overnight stay. Guests sleep in the crew’s quarters, dine in the galley and see what life was really like working a dredgeboat.

Nature Wetland Trail is the place to explore, experiment and examine. Interpretive naturalists guide visitors through a living wetland with the many animals and flora that are native to this fascinating wetland habitat.

Building Architect: Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis
San Francisco, Monterey & Chicago
Projects include Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California; John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois; Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California

Exhibit Design: Lyons/Zaremba Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts
Projects include the Charleston Visitor Center, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass. and the Ring of Fire Aquarium in Osaka Japan

Fabricators: The Larson Company
Tucson, Arizona

Projects include the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta, Georgia; the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Sciences, Davenport, Iowa; the South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina and the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee.