Keeping the dream afloat on Lake George

The family legacy behind Lake George Steamboat Co., created in 1817, that has survived changes in modern times

By Holly Riddle

The Lake George Steamboat Co. boasts a long and storied history. Incorporated in 1817, the company has witnessed the evolution of transportation on the lake and throughout the Adirondacks, the growth of Lake George into a tourism destination, and numerous major national and world events. Over the decades, the company changed hands multiple times, but, since the 1940s, the Dow family has been at the helm.

Current owner Luke Dow’s grandfather, Captain Wilbur Dow, was a maritime lawyer in New York City at the time of purchase. Among his clients? Shipping magnates Stavros Niarchos and Aristotle Onassis. 

“I think he called up Stavros Niarchos,” Luke described of his grandfather’s response to seeing the Lake George Steamboat Co. was up for sale. “He says, ‘Stav, you owe me a lot of money and I need it now. Normally, we have a payment plan, but I need it now’… The day before [the sale], Stavros’s guy shows up with a satchel full of cash. My grandfather made the trip to Lake George. It took him seven or eight hours. He drove all through the night and was up here the morning the deal was going to be terminated and managed to purchase the company.” 

While balancing his time with his law practice, Wilbur additionally got right to work improving the company’s operations. Under his guidance, the company renovated the Mohican twice, once in 1947 and later in 1967; converted a World War II ship into a passenger ship, the Ticonderoga, in 1950; and built out the Lake George Steel Pier in 1954.

Building a family business

Luke’s father, Bill, didn’t necessarily plan to follow in Wilbur’s footsteps, however. After a time in the Navy and a very brief stint at university, he wasn’t sure how he wanted his career to progress. Wilbur offered Bill the position of running the steamboat company while Wilbur continued practicing law, just to try it out for a summer. 

“Dad came up in 1962 and instantly fell in love with it,” said Luke. “I started working there when I was 11. My brother and sister, both two years younger than me, started working there around the same time. My mom (Patricia Dow) started helping my dad with various aspects, especially when they started to get computers and became a little more digitized, in the late 90s.” 

Much like Wilbur, Bill made a lasting mark on the business. 

“He would always lend a helping hand. It didn’t matter if you were a captain of 60 years or a dishwasher that had started working earlier that year, if you wanted my father’s time and attention, he gave it to you,” said Luke.

It was also Bill who launched the company’s steam-powered Minne-Ha-Ha. While critics said it would be a failure, it became the business’s breadwinner.

Luke’s sister, Elizabeth, eventually became a nurse, while his brother Matthew moved to New Orleans to oversee the sister business, the New Orleans Steamboat Co., founded by Bill and Wilbur in the early 1970s. (Today, the company operates a New Orleans icon, the Natchez.) 

Taking the helm, looking to the future

“My father passed in 2022, suddenly, and now it’s basically up to me and my mom to keep his dream going,” said Luke. For him, that looks like wearing a whole lot of hats. “I’m a crane operator, diver, dry dock engineer, event planner, advertising manager.”

While Bill may have initially been uncertain of his place at the Lake George Steamboat Co., that wasn’t the case for Luke. 

“Ever since I was born, my whole world has been boats,” he said. “I didn’t really know much of the world outside the company…I’ve always known that I would take over the business.” 

Looking to the future, though, Luke is honest: “We’re facing a much, much different world now, than what my dad operated with his whole life.” 

He summed up, “I’d say I’m worried about the future of the area, especially tourism, but I am optimistic that we’ll figure out a way to deal with it. The steamboat company means that much to our lake, our area and, mostly, the people who live here. We’ve had employees that have worked with us for 55 years before retiring. Even with all these impending crises, staffing and supply issues, I can’t in good conscience abandon their faith, dedication and love for the boats. They’ve dedicated our lives to us and I’m going to do the same for them. I’ll fight tooth and nail for that. I might not be too optimistic on the future, but I’m going to do the best I can to keep Dad’s dream alive. It would crush me if I had to give it up.”