Water Transportation via Collingwood 1854-1900

Water Transportation via Collingwood 1854-1900. . , 1854 , Sophia, passenger and cargo ship carrying flour, lumber, fish and potash between Kingston, Whitby, Toronto, Port Credit, Port Stanley, Sarnia, Owen Sound, HENS and CHICKENS, and Penetang. HENS and CHICKENS was later renamed COLLINGWOOD. , 1855 , First train Lady Elgin, January 1. Sidewheelers, Keystone State, Queen City, Niagara, were chartered by railway for Collingwood to Chicago run. Ran 3 times weekly , all were 223-278 feet in length and could accommodate 300 cabin passengers. 'Louisiana', same size as others, was used on the weekly Collingwood to Green Bay, Wisconsin route. , 1857 , John Disturnell described Collingwood in his 1857 Travel Guide: , Great numbers of travelers and emigrants are at this point (Collingwood) , transferred to magnificent steamers, bound for Mackinac, Green Bay, Chicago and the Great West, as well as to Sault Ste. Marie and Lake Superior. They carry sizable cargoes as well as passengers. Here, (Collingwood) are a long pier, 800 feet in length, a breakwater, a lighthouse, several large stores and storehouses, four hotels, and two or three churches in the course of erection. , Collingwood chartered to carry to Fort William a Canadian Expedition sent west by the government to explore the resources of the Red River District. This was the first vessel to sail to the Lakehead from a Georgian Bay port. , 1858 , Rescue provided regular service Collingwood to Fort William and Grand Portage, carried mail for Red River District. Montgomery, Ontonogon, Hunter, and Evergreen City propeller vessels 175-204 feet for Collingwood to Chicago route. , 1859 Ploughboy, carried Sir John A. MacDonald and his cabinet, guests of Simcoe County Sheriff Smith, on a cruise to Owen Sound. , 1860 , Visit by the Prince of Wales, (later Edward VII), who enjoyed a cruise around the harbour with local dignitaries. , 1863 , Clifton, regular service Collingwood to Owen Sound. , 1864 , Algoma, Lake Superior trade, Collingwood to Fort William via North shore. , 1868 , Chicora, also on the Collingwood to Fort William run. , 1870 , Colonel Garnet Wolseley and a brigade of troops, regulars and militia, left for Red River Colony to quell the first Riel Rebellion. , 1871 , Frances Smith and Waubuno on Collingwood to Sault Ste. Marie route. , 1872 , Mary Ward, 120 feet, on Collingwood to Lake Superior trade route. , 1873 , Cumberland, Chicora and Frances Smith, all side wheelers, departed from Collingwood in October with 150 members of the newly-formed North West Mounted Police, who were on their way West to bring peace and order to the frontier. Their destination was Prince Arthur's Landing, (Thunder Bay). , 1874 , Cumberland, Chicora and Frances Smith, all Royal Mail Line Steamers, were used for excursions and for transporting German and Scandinavian immigrants to the Western United States. The local hotels could not accommodate the influx, so the dock area was used as sleeping quarters. , 1876 , Northern Belle on the Collingwood to Sault Ste. Marie route. , 1879 , Northern Queen, a 150 foot steamer on the Collingwood to Chicago route. , 1880 , Manitoulin, a 147 foot propeller vessel on the Sault Ste. Marie route. , 1880 , Twice weekly runs Collingwood to Milwaukee, Duluth and Fort William Collingwood to Killarney via Parry Sound. Excursions to Mackinac Island, passengers from all over the continent. , 1882 , Asia, 136 foot cargo ship for C. P. R. construction crews working on north shore of Lake Superior. , 1886 , Campana, Collingwood to Fort William. , 1890 , City of Midland, 176 foot propeller, twice weekly 4 day round trip to Sault. , 1893 , City of Collingwood, 213 foot propeller twice weekly to Sault Ste. Marie and to Chicago World's Fair. Also used for Mackinac excursions. Northern Belle, twice weekly, Collingwood to Parry Sound, Byng Inlet, French River and Killarney via the inside route through Point-aux-Baril, 3 day round trip. , 1899 , Germanic, last wooden ship built in Collingwood, by 1909 was on the Sault route via Byng Inlet and Killarney. , 1900 , City of Collingwood, last scheduled trip from Collingwood to Port Arthur. , Imperial Towers , The Nottawasaga Island lighthouse was one of six “imperial towers” built on the Great Lakes between 1855-1859. Other Imperial lighthouses were located at Point Clarke, Chantry Island, Cove Island, Griffith Island and Christian Island. Contractor John Brown constructed the conical towers of dolomite limestone with walls 6' to 7' thick at the bottom and narrowing to two feet thick at the top. In order to support the French built cast iron polygonal lantern room, the limestone top was capped with granite. In some cases the granite was quarried and prepared by Scottish stonemasons and shipped to the colony as ballast. , The Nottawasaga lighthouse built in 1858 at a cost of $14,120, towered 86' over the water and its revolving light was visible for 17 miles. Manned by local keepers for 100 years, it was automated in 1959. The island has since become a bird sanctuary. , Collingwood Built Lighthouses , Collingwood contractor, Charles Mickler built lighthouses, keepers' dwellings and range towers along the inside passage of Georgian Bay. Doors, windows, flooring and as much frame work as possible were constructed in Collingwood and transported to the sites by boat. There, stone foundations were erected and buildings assembled by Collingwood artisans. Lighthouses with this Collingwood connection were located at Pointe au Baril (1889), Narrow Island (1890), Snug Harbour (1894) and Jones Island (1894). , [photo captions] , . 1873 Hotchkiss, largest vessel on the Great Lakes was built by local builders, Morrill’s Boatworks, for Hotchkiss and Peckham, (mill at foot of Pine St.) to carry lumber to Buffalo. , . 1895 Majestic 209 feet vessel built in Collingwood for the Lake Superior Route. , Panel information compiled by Marie Cruikshank, Peter Dunbar, Kerri Robinson and Patricia Miscampbell. Contact the Collingwood Library or the Collingwood Museum for more information on early history. All photographs courtesy of Collingwood Museum. Lighthouse illustration from an original by Nick Hodson.