Port on Lake Ontario

Port on Lake Ontario. . A variety of sailing vessels have come into our port. The steamboat Ontario visited the Genesee in 1817 on her maiden voyage. , The sighting of a ship far off on the horizon and following her into port, a ship like today's Stephen B. Roman, was and still is an awesome sight to watch! , Luxurious furnishings on ships like the Rochester made lake ships into "floating palaces". The steamer was built in Michigan in 1910. , Captain J.D. Scott purchased the Algoma from Buffalo and ran day trips from Charlotte to Sea Breeze. It was one of the first boats to be outfitted with electric lights. , The Norseman was built in Montreal on 1868. It was renamed the North King in 1891. This ship took passengers from Charlotte to Canada. , Charlotte soon became a resort area after the railroads arrived here in the 1850's. Steamboats and sidewheelers whisked passengers off for long cruises to Canada and the 1000 Islands or for a short day trip to Irondequoit Bay. , From the beginning, commerce made Charlotte an important port on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Shortly after their arrival in 1792, William Hincher and his son began trading in Canada. A year later, John Jones started a trading post on Lighthouse Avenue. Frederick Hosmer came from Avon and built a log shanty on the east side of the same street; he sold to boatman at the port and traded with the Indians. , Goods left here on ships bound for eastern lake ports, the St. Lawrence River, the east coast and Europe. The opening of the Welland Canal in the 1820's allowed ships from Charlotte to access the western Great Lakes. By the 1840's there were over 140 steamboats and schooners on the American side of the lake. It was less expensive to travel to Detroit by water than by land. , Many lake sailors would call Charlotte home: Sam Currier, John Petten, Capt. Henry Spencer, James and Milo Estes, Thomas Vance. David White settled here right after the War of 18 12. Capt. John Farnan came in the 1850's from Braddock's Bay to operate a sawmill and shipyard. , In 1893, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage, thousands crowded the Charlotte pier to see the replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria . , The Stephen B. Roman passes inder the open leaves of both the Stutson Street Bridge and O'Rourke Bridges.