The 400-passenger River Rouge cruise ship was designed and constructed between 1966 and 1967 at Purvis Shipyards in Selkirk. Completed at a cost of $500,000, owner Daniel Ritchie offered passengers a three-hour sightseeing trip along the Red River. Last used in 2014, the ship was beached in the Selkirk Slough at the time of a 2022 site visit.
Postcard view of the River Rouge on the Red River (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2022-0022
River Rouge on the Red River (July 2005)
Source: George Penner
Cruise ships in the Selkirk Slough (February 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (January 2016)
Source: George Penner
River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Daniel Anthony “Dan” Ritchie (1924-2011)
Memorable Manitobans: William George “Bill” Purvis (1894-1970)
Memorable Manitobans: Edward Hubert “Ted” Purvis (1941-2016)
Northern Prairie Ships: Paddlewheel Princess
Northern Prairie Ships: Paddlewheel Queen
Northern Prairie Ships: Lady Winnipeg
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba
Remembering the Riverboats by Adrian Ames
Manitoba History, Number 49, June 2005
“River boats rival for the pleasure of your company,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 May 1968, page 63.
“Paddlewheel Queens: Passenger ships once ruled the Red River” by Bill Redekop, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 2016.
“The sinking tourism on Winnipeg’s rivers,” Global News, 12 October 2016.
We thank Rose Kuzina and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 April 2022
