The Delta Queen has passed through Wheeling for perhaps the last time.

Many onlookers gathered at Heritage Port on Sunday to see the 82-year-old riverboat go by.

The Delta Queen's exemption from a law forbidding vessels primarily made of wood from operating on U.S. waterways overnight while carrying more than 50 passengers runs out November 1.

Without an exemption from this Safety of Life at Sea law, the boat will be retired.

Delta Queen's owner, Majestic America Line, says the 285-foot sternwheeler is a registered historic treasure of the Department of the Interior and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It's also a National Historic Landmark and a member of the National Maritime Hall of Fame.