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MHS Resources: Northern Prairie Steamboats

This list of steamboats operated on rivers and lakes of Western Canada between the 1850s and the present:

Steamboat	Built	Gross Tonnage	Notes	Fate
Alberta	1884		North Western Coal & Navigation Company	Abandoned at Medicine Hat, NWT, 1885
Alberta	1904	315	Rufus Mosher & Fred W. Coates, 1908 to Winnipeg Navigation Company	Caught in flood at Lockport, 1916
Alert	1905		Northern Fish Company	?
Alexandra	1902		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		Sprague Lumber Company	?
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		Owned by Charles H. NcNaughton of the Arctic Ice Company from 1910 to 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
Anson Northup	1858		Owner: Anson Northup, formerly North Star, Governor Ramsey	Reconstructed as Pioneer, 1859
Antelope	1887		Sprague Lumber Company	?
Armenon	1918		Armstrong Gimli Fish Company	Beached at Winnipegosis
Assiniboia	1903		H. H. Ross	Crushed by ice on Cedar Lake, Manitoba, 1906
Assiniboine	1894		?	Dismantled at Winnipeg, 1900, rebuilt as Gertie H
Aurora			Hugh Black
Baldur	1909-1910		See Phyllis Williams
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		316
Bonnitoba	1910	278	Hyland Navigation & Trading Company	Crushed by ice near Winnipeg, 1913
Bradbury	1915		Federal Government	On display at Selkirk Marine Museum
Carberry		64	Operating on Red River, 1919
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	61	Dominion Fish Company, 1909 to Winnipeg Fish Company, 1910 to Northern Fish Company	Grounded on Red River sandbar, 1916
City of Edmonton	1909		John Walter	Abandoned at Edmonton, Alberta, circa 1918
City of Grand Forks	1895		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		Prince Albert Lumber Company, 1918 to Mandy Mines	?
City of Selkirk	1893	293	Ewing & Fryer, to Dominion Fish Company	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
Daisy		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
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
Emma E.	1908		Finger Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas
Evelyn B.	1922		H. Burrell	Refurbished as Rambler, circa 1925
Fisherman	1892	44	North West Navigation Company	Laid up at Selkirk, 1914
Frederick	1904		North West Navigation Company	Lost on Lake of the Woods, 1912
Friday (tugboat)	1911	60	Built by the Department of Public Works; Operating on Red River, 1919
Garry		120	Operating on Red River, 1919
George V	1911		City of Prince Albert, 1915 to F. E. Simmonds syndicate	Wrecked in ice at The Pas, 1918
Gertie H	1900		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	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	1913	438	North West Navigation Company; formerly Mikado	Broken up at Selkirk, 1930s
W. J. Guest	1917	97	Northern Fish Company	?
Sir Hector (tugboat)		70	Department of Public Works; named for Sir Hector Louis Langevin (1826-1906).
Highlander	1900	59	Imperial Fish Company, to Northern Fish Company, to Hudson’s Bay Company	Dismantled at Norway House, 1916
Ida	1890s		Peter McArthur, then to McArthur’s Standard Lumber Company	?
Idell	1892	54	Owned by North West Navigation Company; operating on Red River	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
Josie	1890		Richard Deacon	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, 1914
Keenora	1898	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
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 North West Navigation Company	Laid up at Selkirk, 1915
Lady of the Lake	1897		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	201	William Pearson Company; formerly Welcome	Rebuilt as Qu’Appelle, 1907
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		26
B. J. Little	1898		B. J. Little	?
Lottie S.	1900		North West Fish Company	?
Luana		279
Maggie	1873		James Bell, to F. T. Rollin	Converted to barge at Winnipeg, 1878
Majestic		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		Booth Fish Company	Beached on Lake Winnipegosis
Marion	1907		Richard Deacon	Abandoned on North Saskatchewan River, 1914
Marquette	1879		North West Navigation Company	Wrecked on Red River, 1888
Marquis	1882		Winnipeg & Western Transportation Company	Beached at Prince Albert, NWT 1890, burned circa 1909
Marvyl		225
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	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 Company	Burned near Winnipeg, 1914
Myles	1889		North West Navigation Company	Lost on Lake Winnipeg, circa 1900
W. S. Newton	?	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		North West 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
Odinak	1916		Armstrong Gimli Fish Company	Beached at Winnipegosis
Ogema	1885		Reid & Tait Fish Company, to North West Navigation Company	?
O Hell	1910		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1920s
Osprey	1890s		Booth Fish Company	?
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		Built for the William Robinson Company	Condemned, 1951
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 North West Navigation Company	Dismantled at Winnipeg, 1881
Princess	1880-1881		Launched 2 August 1881; owned by William Robinson, then part of North West Transportation Company	Sunk in storm off Swampy Island on Lake Winnipeg, 1906
Qu’Appelle	1907		William Pearson Company; formerly called Lady of the Lake	Torched at Cowan’s Beach on Last Mountain Lake, 1918
Rambler	Circa 1925		C. Patterson; formerly called Evelyn B.	Beached in storm at Coffey’s Point on Lake Winnipegosis, 1930
Red River	1883		North West Navigation Company	Sunk in storm on Lake Winnipeg, 1899
Rocket	1899	56	J. W. Simpson, 1906 to North West Navigation Company	Broken up at Selkirk, 1933
Rosamond Billett		679	Operated by Hugh Sutherland
Roughsedge- Ramsay	1905		Roughsedge & Ramsay	Shut down on North Saskatchewan River, 1909
Ruby	1910		Federal Department of Public Works	?
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
Slave River	1912		Hudson’s Bay Company	?
C. R. Smith	1912		Finger Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas
J. M. Smith	1906	179	William Hall	Wrecked by ice on the Red River, 1920
Sparkle	1922		Booth Fish Company	?
J. R. Spear		71	Named for businessman J. R. Spear; operated on Red River, 1919
Spray		18
Strathcona	1904		John Walter	Rebuilt as Scona, 1907
Sultana	1889		North West Navigation Company	Abandoned at Fort Alexander Mills, 1911
Swallow	1868		Minnesota shippers; 1875 to James Flannigan	Caught in Red River ice, 1879
Tempest	1900	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
Tobin	1921		Ross Navigation Company	Beached at The Pas, 1930s
Vaughan			Operating on Red River in 1919, gross tonnage 134 (LAC records)
Victor		26	Operating on Red River, 1919
Victoria	1878		?	?
Welcome	1905		William Pearson Company	Rebuilt as Lady of the Lake, 1906
William Robinson	Circa 1880		William Robinson	Grounded on Lake Winnipeg, 1882
Winnipeg (dredge)		245	Operated by Department of Public Works
Winnitoba	1909	883	Hyland Navigation & Trading Company	Burned, 1912
D. N. Winton	1920		The Pas Lumber Company	Beached at The Pas, 1934, wrecked by ice, circa 1950
Wolverine	1903	278	Imperial Fish Company, 1904 to Northern Fish Company	Dismantled, 1936

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.

We thank Ken Howard for providing additional information used here.

Page revised: 4 May 2020