The Mississippi River is really low south of the QC and with the shrinking water levels comes new discoveries.

At Memphis, the river is at a record low. You can just see it drying up. The declining levels have exposed the sunken Diamond Lady casino riverboat.

Drought In Mississippi River Basin Slows Down Vital Barge Traffic
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The Diamond Lady took it's maiden voyage on the river in the early 90's, Captain William Lozier, President of the Memphis Riverboats, told WMC. It operated for a few years as a floating casino but it was taken out of commission around 1999 in favor of a bigger boat.

It sank in the Mighty Mississippi in 2021 after it was moved to Riverside Park Marina. If you look closely at the pictures of the riverboat, you can see where the water level was on the boat...compared to where it is clearly not now.

Diamond Lady was based in Bettendorf.

Vimeo/Dream Scape
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Before it made the move to it's final resting place in Memphis, Diamond Lady was owned by Steamboat Development Corp. in Bettendorf. In 1992, the boat was moved to Mississippi because of Iowa gambling restrictions.

Take a look at footage of the Diamond Lady before the river's recession.

Abandoned Riverboat Diamond Lady from Dream Scape on Vimeo.

The boat can now be seen from hull to mast because of the incredibly low river level at Memphis.

Drought In Mississippi River Basin Slows Down Vital Barge Traffic
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The Mississippi River levels are doing more than unearthing riverboat casinos. They're also affecting supply chains, with barges being stuck in queue because of the low levels south of the QC.

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