SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The first passenger boat in more than three quarters of a century is scheduled to visit Sioux City this summer.

The River Explorer, a 198-passenger hotel barge, is scheduled to arrive about midday on Aug. 15, said Donald M. "Skip" Meisner, coordinator of the Siouxland Lewis & Clark Committee.

The committee is planning a welcome for the boat, believed to be the first passenger boat to arrive in Sioux City since the steam ferry, the B.A. Douglas, in 1926. The steamboat, the Josephine, is believed to be the last passenger steamboat to visit Sioux City -- in 1876.

The arrival of the River Explorer also will be the kickoff for the Siouxland Lewis & Clark committee, Meisner said. The committee is planning tours of the city and Siouxland for the River Explorer's passengers.

The 735-foot-long vessel has three decks and is 52 feet wide, said Bill Beacom of Sioux City, the boat's captain.

The New Orleans-based RiverBarge Excursions is offering a nine-day excursion from Kansas City to Sioux City and another seven-day trip from Sioux City to Kansas City.

The barge's arrival will be timed to coincide with the annual Lewis & Clark encampment at the Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum and Visitor Center.