Rising above the concrete slopes of Cincinnati’s Public Landing at Sawyer Point is a three-story, 60 ton, exact replica of the original red paddle wheel from the American Queen riverboat. It is positioned about 40 feet off the ground, above a series of 24 metal smokestacks in what is known as the Dan and Susan Pfau Whistle Grove. The smokestacks showcase the importance of steam in the early days of riverboat travel and the relevance that riverboats played in the early history of Cincinnati.
Visitors to the Whistle Grove are able to control the steam released from each of the stainless steel smokestacks by simply walking by several computer synchronized motion sensors installed in each column. Different sounds will be triggered by passing by the various columns, including calliope music, a steamboat whistle and voices of river veterans talking about the rigors of life on the Ohio. All of the columns emit steam, generated by boilers in a nearby steam room.
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