MHS Resources: Northern Prairie Boats

This list contains large vessels that operated on rivers and lakes of Manitoba and elsewhere in western Canada between the 1850s and present.

Ship name begins with the letter: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Alberta	1884		North Western Coal & Navigation Company	Abandoned at Medicine Hat, NWT, 1885
Alberta	1904	116950	315 Gross Tonnage. Rufus Mosher & Fred W. Coates, 1908 to Winnipeg Navigation Company	Caught in flood at Lockport, 1916
Alert	1905	121774	Northern Fish Company	?
Alexandra	1902	112291	Levi Bellefeuille, to Pioneer Navigation Company	Wrecked by ice in the Red River, 1910
Algoma	1909		Levi Bellefeuille, to Manitoba Sand & Dredging Company	?
Alice Mattes	1921		The Pas Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas, circa 1950
Alice Sprague	1886	90451	Owned by Daniel Emes Sprague of the Sprague Lumber Company. Named for his named for his wife, Alice Wilhelmina Hawkins Sprague	Wrecked; Registry closed 1896
Alpha	1873		J. W. McLane, circa 1873 to Red River Transportation Company	Grounded at Spruce Woods, Manitoba, 1885
W. H. Alsop	1881		W. H. Alsop (of Bonanza Farms), 1882 to Red River Transportation Company	?
Amelia Mac	1910	130271	Owned by Charles H. NcNaughton of the Arctic Ice Company (1910-1938) then by Brown & Rutherford Company from 1938 onward. Named for Amelia Barbara McNaughton, daughter of its original owner.	Cut up for scrap at Riverton (?) [5]
Amish			32 Gross Tons
Anson Northup	1858		Owner: Anson Northup, formerly North Star, Governor Ramsey	Reconstructed as Pioneer, 1859
Antelope	1887	90452	Captain Patterson	Wrecked, 1893
Armenon	1918	138624	Built at Winnipegosis. Owned by Armstrong Gimli Fish Company (1918-?) and Armstrong Independent Fisheries Limited (1931-?) of Portage la Prairie	?, Beached at Winnipegosis
Assiniboia	1903		H. H. Ross	Crushed by ice on Cedar Lake, Manitoba, 1906
Assiniboine	1894	103388	?	Dismantled at Winnipeg (1900), rebuilt as Gertie H
Atik	1947	193293	Fishing vessel, built at The Pas. Owned by Keystone Fisheries Limited (1954-1961)
Aubigny Ferry	1945	188251	Built at Winnipeg. Operated by Rural Municipality of Morris at the Aubigny Ferry Crossing (1945-1965)	See Stockton Ferry ON#188251
Aurora	1885	90442	Built at Riverton; owners included Lake Winnipeg Transportation Lumber & Trading Company and Hugh Black.	After 1901, (?)
B	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Baldur	1909-1910	130274	Rebuilt by 1939 from the Phyllis Williams. Operated by the Federal Government.	Condemned, 1951
Baroness	1883		North Western Coal & Navigation Company	Abandoned at Lethbridge, NWT, 1885
Battleford	1896		John Walter, 1896 to Village of Battleford	Abandoned at Battleford, Saskatchewan, circa 1907
Betty Lew			Gross Tonnage 316
Bonnitoba	1910	122278	Built at Winnipeg, operated by the Hyland Navigation & Trading Company. Gross Tonnage 278	Crushed by ice near Winnipeg, 1913
Bradbury	1915	152581	Built at Selkirk. Owned by the Federal Minister of Public Works (1915-1930), Province of Manitoba (1931-1941), Powell Transportation Limited (1941-1957) and Federal Minister of Public Works (1957-1977)	Registry closed, 1977. On display at Selkirk Marine Museum
C	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Carberry	1903	112293	Operating on Red River, 1919. Gross Tonnage 64
Cheyenne	1873		Red River Transportation Company	Wrecked near Ste. Agathe, 1885
Chief Commissioner	1873		Built for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Lower Fort Garry 1871-72, launched 18 May 1872; in 1881, when the hull was found to be “much decayed and unsafe” she was converted to a “storehouse” [1]	Hull converted to barge, 1875
Chieftain	1901	111458	Gross Tonnage 61. Dominion Fish Company, 1909 to Winnipeg Fish Company, 1910 to Northern Fish Company	Grounded on Red River sandbar, 1916
City of Edmonton	1909	126448	John Walter	Abandoned at Edmonton, Alberta, circa 1918
City of Grand Forks	1895	United States Registry	W. J. Godfrey, to East Grand Forks Transportation Company	Sunk at Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1912
City of Medicine Hat	1906		H. H. Ross	Wrecked on Saskatoon bridge, 1908
City of Prince Albert	1907	122291	Prince Albert Lumber Company, 1918 to Mandy Mines	?
City of Selkirk	1893	100134	Ewing & Fryer, to Dominion Fish Company. Gross Tonnage 293	Crushed by ice on Red River, 1914
City of Winnipeg	1881		Owned by Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company; formerly Minnesota	Wrecked in storm off Long Point on Lake Winnipeg, 1881
Colvile	1875		Owned by Hudson’s Bay Company; formerly Chief Commissioner; named for HBC Governor Eden Colvile (1819-1893).	Burned at Grand Rapids, NWT, 1894
D	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Daisy			Gross Tonnage 27. Operating on Red River, 1919
Daisy Bell	1898		James Wallwark	Abandoned at Dawson, NWT, 1899
Dakota	1872		Red River Transportation Company	Burned near international border, 1881
David N. Winton	1920		The Pas Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas, 1934, wrecked by ice, 1954
David S. Winton	1920	122296	Albert L. Mattes (1920-1931) of The Pas, David D. Rosenberry (1936) of The Pas
Dontianen	Circa 1930		Tom Sukanen, 1942 to Victor Markkula, 1972 to Lawrence Mullin and the Moose Jaw Prairie Pioneer Village and Museum	Reconstructed at the Moose Jaw Prairie Pioneer Village and Museum
E	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Emma E.	1908		Finger Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas
Evelyn B.	1922		H. Burrell	Refurbished as Rambler, circa 1925
F	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Fisherman	1892		Gross Tonnage 44. Northwest Navigation Company	Laid up at Selkirk, 1914
Frank Burton	1896	103651	Built at Selkirk, woodens screw steamer. 52 gross tons, 35 net tons. Registry closed may 1907	?; Registry closed 1907
Frederick	1904		Northwest Navigation Company	Lost on Lake of the Woods, 1912
Friday	1911		Built by the Department of Public Works; Operating on Red River, 1919. Tugboat, gross Tonnage 60
G	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Garry	1912	134253	Operating on Red River, 1919. Gross Tonnage 120	?, Registry closed.
George V	1911	122295	City of Prince Albert, 1915 to F. E. Simmonds syndicate	Wrecked in ice at The Pas, 1918
Gertie H	1900	107218	J. S. Hall, to Pioneer Navigation Company. The boat was the rebuilt Assiniboine, apparently named for Gertie Hall, daughter of its owner.	Destroyed by fire, 1904
Glendevon	1882		Charles Gauthier	Burned at mouth of Little Saskatchewan River, 1891
Goldfield	Circa 1914	134252	Gross Tonnage 94. Reid & Tait Fish Company, circa 1910 to Goldfield Mines, 1919 to Riverton Fish Company, 1921 to Gimli Fish Company, 1936 to Armstrong Gimli Fish Company, 1969 to Sigurdson Fish Company; formerly Minerva, Frank Burton	Cut up for scrap at Riverton (?) [5]
J. L. Grandin	1878		J. L. Grandin (of Bonanza Farms)	Sunk during flood at Halstad, Minnesota, 1897
Grand Rapids	1884	88482	Gross and net Tonnage 139. Wooden tow barge build at Winnipeg	Wrecked at mouth of Red River, June 1891.
Grand Rapids	1913	112308	Gross Tonnage 438. Northwest Navigation Company; formerly Mikado	Broken up at Selkirk, 1930s
W. J. Guest	1917		Gross Tonnage 97. Northern Fish Company	?
H	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Sir Hector (tugboat)			Gross Tonnage 70. Department of Public Works; named for Sir Hector Louis Langevin (1826-1906).
Highlander	1900		Gross Tonnage 59. Imperial Fish Company, to Northern Fish Company, to Hudson’s Bay Company	Dismantled at Norway House, 1916
Hudson’s Bay Messenger	1895	103386	Built at Winnipeg, wooden screw steamer.	?; Registry closed 1897
I	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Ida	1890s		Peter McArthur, then to McArthur’s Standard Lumber Company	?
Idell	1892	100135	Owned by Northwest Navigation Company. Built at Selkirk, wooden screw steamer, operated on Red River. 53 gross tons, 36 net tons	Broken up at Selkirk, 1941
International	1862		J. C. & H. C. Burbank, transferred circa 1872 to Red River Transportation Company (Kittson Line); formerly Freighter	?
Iona	1899		Standard Lumber Company	?
Isabelle	1893		Peter McArthur, then to McArthur’s Standard Lumber Company; formerly Lady Blanche	Abandoned near Winnipegosis, 1904
J	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Josie	1890		Richard Deacon	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, 1914
K	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Kathleen	1885	88489	Built at Winnipeg; wooden screw steamer. 7 gross tons, 4 net tons.	?; Registry closed 1890
Keenora	1898		Gross Tonnage 535. Rainy River Navigation Company, 1918 to three Winnipeg lawyers, 1923 to Northern Fish Company, 1931 to Selkirk Navigation Company, 1964 to Marine Transport Navigation Company, 1972 to Maritime Museum of Manitoba	Beached at the Maritime Museum of Manitoba, 1972
Keewatin	1876		F. T. Rollin	Wrecked in storm on Lake Winnipeg, 1884
L	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Lady Blanche	1879		Reginald Pratt	Reconstructed as Isabelle, 1893
Lady Ellen	1877		E. McMicken, N. Blacklin & J. Colcleugh, 1880 to Brown & Rutherford, 1885 to D. Clark, 1887 to D. Fraser, 1887 to Northwest Navigation Company	Laid up at Selkirk, 1915
Lady of the Lake	1897	103661	Stephen Sigurdson, 1898 to William Robinson, 1899 to Dominion Fish Company, 1901 to Northern Fish Company	Condemned at Selkirk, 1934
Lady of the Lake	1906		Gross Tonnage 201. William Pearson Company; formerly Welcome	Rebuilt as Qu’Appelle, 1907
Lark	1893	100138	Built at St. Boniface; wooden tow barge. 38 gross and net tons	Broken up, Registry closed 1908
Laura	1884	88473	Built at Riverton; owned by Lake Winnipeg Transportation Lumber & Trading Company.	Broken up (?)
Lily	1877		Built for the Hudson’s Bay Company and launched at Grand Rapids in 1877, transferred in 1883 to the Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Sunk at Drowning Ford, NWT [about 40 miles below Medicine Hat], 1883
Lisgar			Gross Tonnage 26
B. J. Little	1898		B. J. Little	?
Lottie S.	1900		North West Fish Company	?
Luana			Gross Tonnage 279
Luana III	1945	174970	Built at Winnipeg. Owned by Carl Thomasson of C. Tomasson & Sons (1948-1949) of Hecla and Keystone Fisheries Limited (1949-1966)	Burned and broken up, 1966
M	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Maggie	1873		James Bell, to F. T. Rollin	Converted to barge at Winnipeg, 1878
Majestic			Gross Tonnage 64. Operating on Red River, 1919
Manitoba	1875		Merchants International Steamboat Line, 1875 to Red River Transportation Company, circa 1881 to Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Crushed by ice at Shell River, NWT, 1885
Manitou	1900	111451	Booth Fish Company	Beached on Lake Winnipegosis
Marion	1904	116946	Richard Deacon of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, 1914
Marquette	1879		Northwest Navigation Company	Wrecked on Red River, 1894
Marquis	1882	88488	Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Beached at Prince Albert, NWT 1890, burned circa 1909
Marvyl	1905	121772	Owned by the Manitoba Gypsum Company (1905-1919) and Northern Fish Company (1921-1931)	After 1931, ?
Mary Ann Roe	Before 1881		Owned by Roe and D. B. McDonald of Portage la Prairie [3]	?
May Queen	1884		E. S. Andrews	Scrapped at Saskatoon, NWT, 1885
McKillop-Benjafield	1903		McKillop & Benjafield	Abandoned on Last Mountain Lake
Midnight Sun	1905		Northern Transportation Company	?
Mikado	1905	112308	Gross Tonnage 242. Built by John Morrison and Roderick Smith, later owned by William Purvis, to Northern Fish Company	Rebuilt as Grand Rapids, 1913
Miles			Hugh Black
Minassin			H. H. Ross
Minnesota	1875		Merchants International Steamboat Line, 1875 to Red River Transportation Company	Refurbished as City of Winnipeg, 1881
Minnow	1884		North Western Coal & Navigation Company, 1887 to Lamoureux Brothers, 1898 to Percy C. Cunliffe	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, circa 1900
Mockingbird	1899		North West Fish Company	Swamped on Lake Winnipegosis, 1901
Mount Cashel	1910		Hyland Navigation & Trading Company	Burned near Winnipeg, 1914
Myles	1889		Northwest Navigation Company	Lost on Lake Winnipeg, circa 1900
N	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
W. S. Newton	1930	156568	Gross Tonnage 311. Keystone Fisheries Limited, named for businessman Walter S. Newton	Sank at Selkirk (1947)
Nipawin	1917		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1930s
Northcote	1874		Hudson’s Bay Company, 1883 to Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Beached at Cumberland House, NWT, 1886, burned circa 1903
Northern Light	1906		Northern Transportation Company	?
Northland Echo	1910		Northern Transportation Company	?
Northland Sun	1907		Charles Barber, to Northern Transportation Company	?
Northland Trader	1906		Northern Transportation Company	?
North West	1881		Northwest Navigation Company, 1884 to Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Wrecked in flood at Edmonton, NWT, 1899
Notin	1914		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1920s
O	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Odinak	1914	134260	Armstrong Gimli Fish Company	Beached at Winnipegosis
Ogema	1885	78004	Built at Winnipeg. Owned by Jarvis & Berridge (1885) and Red River & Lake Winnipeg Navigation Company (1882-?). Rebuilt at Selkirk as tow barge. Owned by Reid & Tait Fish Company (1885-?), to Northwest Navigation Company (1896-?), and William Robinson (1898-?).	?; Registry closed 1900
Ogema	1901	111460	Built at Selkirk. Owned by William Robinson (1901-1905) and the Dominion Fish Company (1906-1918)
O Hell	1910		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1920s
Osprey	1890s		Booth Fish Company	?
P	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Le Pas	1910		H. H. Ross, then to Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1920s
Pathfinder	1903		Richard Deacon	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, 1914
Petrel	1898		C. W. Maloan	Dismantled, 1910
Phyllis Williams	1909-1910	130274	Assembled in Manitoba, operated by the Lake Winnipeg Shipping Company (1910-c1920s) and the William Robinson Company (1920s). Abandoned in the 1930s and rebuilt as the Baldur.	See Baldur
Pioneer	1859		Owned by Anson Northup; formerly called Anson Northup	Crushed by ice at Cook’s Creek off Red River, 1862
Pluck	Circa 1880		Bonanza Farms, 1882 to Red River Transportation Company; formerly White Swan	Dismantled at Grand Forks, Dakota Territory, 1886
Premier	1896		Reid & Tait Fish Company, to Dominion Fish Company	Burned at Warren’s Landing on Lake Winnipeg, 1908
Prince Rupert	1872		Peter McArthur, then part of the Northwest Navigation Company	Dismantled at Winnipeg, 1881
Princess	1880-1881		Launched 2 August 1881; owned by William Robinson, then part of Northwest Navigation Company	Sunk in storm off Swampy Island on Lake Winnipeg, 1906
Q	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Qu’Appelle	1907		William Pearson Company; formerly called Lady of the Lake	Torched at Cowan’s Beach on Last Mountain Lake, 1918
R	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Rambler	Circa 1925		C. Patterson; formerly called Evelyn B.	Beached in storm at Coffey’s Point on Lake Winnipegosis, 1930
Red River	1883		Northwest Navigation Company	Sunk in storm on Lake Winnipeg, 1899
Regina	1885	88499	Built at Winnipeg. Tonnage: gross (6) net (4). Wooden screw steamer	Broken up, Registry closed 1908
Ripple	1885	90441	Built at Selkirk.	?; Registry closed 1890
Ripple	1891	100131	Built at Winnipeg	Broken up; Registry closed 1899
Rocket	1899		Gross Tonnage 56. J. W. Simpson, 1906 to Northwest Navigation Company	Broken up at Selkirk, 1933
Rosamond Billett	1910		Operated by Lake Winnipeg Shipping Company	Broken up 1917, rebuilt, and scrapped 1922
Roughsedge - Ramsay	1905		Roughsedge & Ramsay	Shut down on North Saskatchewan River, 1909
Ruby	1910		Federal Department of Public Works	?
S	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Sam Brisbin	1908		H. H. Ross, then to Ross Navigation Company	Sunk at The Pas, 1920s
Saskatchewan	1883		Peter McArthur	Burned at The Narrows, Lake Manitoba, 1893
Saskatchewan	1903		Hudson’s Bay Company	Dismantled at The Pas, 1913
Scona	1907		John Walter; formerly called Strathcona	Abandoned at Edmonton, Alberta, circa 1918
Selkirk	1871		Hill, Griggs & Company, circa 1872 to Red River Transportation Company	Wrecked at Grand Forks, Dakota Territory, 1884
Sigurros	1895	103376	Built at Icelandic River [Riverton], wooden schooner, 21 gross and net tons	?; Registry closed 1919
Slave River	1912		Hudson’s Bay Company	?
C. R. Smith	1912		Finger Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas
J. M. Smith	1906		Gross Tonnage 179. William Hall	Wrecked by ice on the Red River, 1920
Sophia	1884	88474	Built at Riverton; owned by Lake Winnipeg Transportation Lumber & Trading Company.	?
Sparkle	1922		Booth Fish Company	?
J. R. Spear			Gross Tonnage 71. Named for businessman J. R. Spear; operated on Red River, 1919
Spray			Gross Tonnage 18
Spray	1880	78003	Built at Pine Falls. Wooden barge of 100 gross (and net) tons	?; Registry closed (?)
Spray	1882		Built at Winnipeg for the Northwest Navigation Company
Stockton Ferry	1945	313977	Built at Stockton. Operated by the Rural Municipality of South Cypress at the Stockton Ferry Crossing (1945-1965)	Dismantled (1966)
Stockton Ferry	1945	188251	Built at Winnipeg, formerly the Aubigny Ferry ON#188251. Operated by the Rural Municipality of South Cypress at the Stockton Ferry Crossing (1966-1989)	Scrapped (1991)
Strathcona	1904		John Walter	Rebuilt as Scona, 1907
Sultana	1889	92695	Northwest Navigation Company	Abandoned at Fort Alexander Mills, 1911
Suzanne E	1946		Built by Edward Neison (1887-1982); later bought by Noah Epstein (1898-1958), operator of Selkirk Fisheries, and named in honour of his daughter Suzanne Epstein Golden	Caught in storm north of Grindstone Point and sunk, 24 September 1965
Swallow	1868		Minnesota shippers; 1875 to James Flannigan	Caught in Red River ice, 1879
T	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Tempest	1900		Gross Tonnage 75. Built by William Purvis Sr. for the Northern Fish Company, it towed sailboats to fishing grounds on Lake Winnipeg.	Beached in 1925, it was broken up at Selkirk in 1927
Treesbank Ferry II	1970	331314	Built at Riverton. Owned by the Provincial Department of Highways & Transportation and operated at Treesbank Ferry Crossing (1970-1984).	?, Registry closed 1999
Treesbank Ferry III	1987	808175	Built at Riverton. Owned by the Provincial Department of Highways & Transportation and operated at Treesbank Ferry Crossing (1987-1989), then purchased by the Rural Municipality of South Cypress / and operated at the Stockton Ferry Crossing since 1990.	Active (2020)
Tobin	1921		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1930s
U	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
V	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Vaughan			Operating on Red River in 1919, gross tonnage 134 (LAC records)
Victor			Gross Tonnage 26. Operating on Red River, 1919
Victoria	1878		?	?
W	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Welcome	1897	103661	William Pearson Company	Rebuilt as Lady of the Lake, 1906
William Robinson	Circa 1880		William Robinson	Grounded on Lake Winnipeg, 1882
Winnipeg			Dredge. Gross Tonnage 245. Operated by Department of Public Works
Winnitoba	1909		Gross Tonnage 883. Hyland Navigation & Trading Company	Burned, 1912
Wolverine	1903		Gross Tonnage 278. Imperial Fish Company, 1904 to Northern Fish Company	Dismantled, 1936
X	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Y	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate
Z	Built	Official Number	Notes	Fate

See also:

On Board the Steamer “Northwest,” Saskatchewan River
Manitoba History, Number 17, Spring 1989

My Father’s Steamboats by Mary Agnes Medd
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 17, Number 1, Autumn 1971

Steamboats to the Rescue, 1897 by Molly McFadden
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 6, Number 3, April 1961

The First of Many by Molly McFadden
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 3, April 1959

A History of Transportation in Winnipeg by Walter E. Bradley
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1958-59 Season

A “Princess” is Launched by Molly McFadden
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 1, September 1958

Steamboat Holiday by Molly McFadden
Manitoba Pageant, April 1957

Steamboating on the Red by Molly McFadden
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1950-51 Season

Molly McFadden Basken (1897-1970)
Historian.

Hugh Black (1846-1918)
Steamboat operator.

Norman Wolfred Kittson (1814-1888)
Steamboat operator.

William Robinson (1850-?)
Steamboat operator.

Horatio Hamilton Ross (1870-1925)
Steamboat operator.

Sources:

1. Theodore Berris, Fire Canoe (McClelland & Stewart, 1977, ISBN 0-7710-1025-7).

2. The Letters of Charles John Brydges, 1879-1882. The Hudson’s Bay Record Society, Winnipeg, 1977, page 112.

3. Winnipeg Times, 24 September 1881, page 1.

4. Nathan Kramer, personal communication, 13 April 2014.

5. Mark Thorsteinson, personal communication, 7 September 2018.

6. Ship Registrations 1787-1966, Library and Archives Canada.

We thank Ken Howard and John MacFarlane (The Nauticapedia Project) for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 26 December 2020