California Steam Navigation Company facts for kids

The California Steam Navigation Company was a big shipping company formed in 1854. Its main goal was to bring together all the different steamboat companies that were competing in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Sacramento River and San Joaquin Rivers. The company was very successful and soon had a strong control over river travel, almost like a monopoly. It kept this control by buying out or making new competitors go out of business.

As the economy grew, the company expanded its routes. It started sending ships from San Francisco north to British Columbia (because of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush) and south to places like San Pedro and San Diego. However, by 1867, too much competition on these ocean routes made them unprofitable, so the company stopped offering them.

Even though the California Steam Navigation Company was great at stopping other steamboat companies, it couldn't stop the rise of railroads. These new train lines started taking away the company's customers and profits. Finally, in 1871, another company called the California Pacific Railroad bought all of the California Steam Navigation Company's ships and properties, and the company closed down.

Early Days of Steamboats

An advertisement for the California Steam Navigation Company from 1863.

In the 1840s and 1850s, roads and train tracks in California were not very good. So, steamboats and the barges they pulled were super important for moving people, farm goods, and other items around the region. Many docks and stations popped up around San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisun Bay. Steamboats also traveled up the rivers that flowed into these bays, especially the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The Sacramento River was long enough for boats to travel about 250 miles inland!

In 1848, there were only two steamboats on the Sacramento River. A trip from San Francisco to Sacramento cost $30 for a cabin or $20 to stay on deck. When the California Gold Rush began, the number of ships on the Sacramento River quickly grew to sixteen in just 18 months! All these ships were built far away and sailed all the way around Cape Horn to get to California.

By 1851, with so many ships, prices dropped a lot. A trip could cost as little as $1 as companies fought for customers. To make things worse, more ships that had been ordered during the boom times started to arrive. With loans to pay, ship owners had to put them into service, even though there was already too much competition. By 1853, there were 25 steamboats just on the Sacramento River!

To stop losing money, almost all the steamboat owners decided to join forces. On February 22, 1854, they officially formed the California Steam Navigation Company. Some of the first owners included Richard Chenery and Captain James Whitney Jr.

Fighting Other Companies

The new California Steam Navigation Company quickly took 23 ships out of service. This move almost completely stopped competition on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. With less competition, the company could raise its prices, and its owners started making good profits again.

But these high profits soon attracted new competitors, just like in 1850. Smaller boats like the Surprise and Martin White started offering trips in 1855. The California Steam Navigation Company fought back by lowering its prices to as little as $0.25 per passenger from San Francisco to Sacramento. This was done to push the smaller, less wealthy companies out of business.

People in Marysville were very upset when freight prices went up to $40 per ton after the company formed. So, in 1854, merchants in Marysville created their own company, the Citizens' Steam Navigation Company, to compete. Their ship, the Enterprise, carried freight for only $12 per ton. The California Steam Navigation Company didn't like any competition, so it dropped its price to just $1 per ton! The Citizens' Steam Navigation Company built a bigger ship, the Queen City, but it lost money on every trip at such low prices. They couldn't get enough money to keep going. On October 1, 1855, they signed a deal that gave the California Steam Navigation Company control over their ships, bringing back the monopoly to Marysville.

Many people and local businesses disliked the California Steam Navigation Company because of its high prices and the tough ways it stopped competition. One newspaper even suggested that all politicians running for state government should promise to always oppose the company!

Ocean and Coastal Trips

The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1857 created a huge need for transportation from the Bay Area to British Columbia. People who had rushed to California for gold now rushed to the new goldfields in Canada. Also, as California's economy grew, there was more demand for travel to the south. The California Steam Navigation Company used some of its biggest steamboats for these new routes and bought other ocean-going ships to meet the demand. Some of these ships included the Pacific (bought in 1859), Brother Jonathan (bought in 1861), and Ajax and Orizaba (bought in 1865).

In 1856, the ship Senator started "South Coast" service between San Francisco and San Diego, stopping at places like San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. In 1859, the Pacific began trips to Victoria, British Columbia, with stops in Crescent City and Portland. Other ships like Brother Jonathan and Active later joined this route. In 1866, the company even started the first regular steamship service between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands using its ship Ajax. However, after only two trips, the company moved Ajax to the San Francisco-Portland route because of new competition.

These new ocean routes meant the company faced new rivals. In the north, a powerful company called the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company, run by a tough steamboat pioneer named Ben Holladay, was the main competitor. This company had more ships on the San Francisco-Victoria route than the California Steam Navigation Company.

For a while, the two main companies seemed to avoid a price war. But in 1865, a new company called the Anchor Line started, and its ship Montana began sailing on the San Francisco-Victoria line. It cut prices to get customers. Then, in 1866, the Anchor Line built another ship called Idaho, and a full-scale price war began. It became very hard to make a profit on the northern route.

The Company's End

By 1867, the price war on the northern route forced a big change. The California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company bought all the ocean-going ships from the California Steam Navigation Company. This included ships like Active, Ajax, California, Orizba, Pacific, and Senator. This meant the California Steam Navigation Company had to go back to focusing only on its Bay Area and river routes. But even there, it was facing new competition from growing railroads.

On March 31, 1871, the California Pacific Railroad Company bought everything the California Steam Navigation Company owned. This included 32 steamboats (both sidewheel and sternwheel), 21 barges, 20 docks and depots, and all the rights that allowed its ships to sail. The money from this sale was given to the company's owners, and the company officially closed in September 1871. The railroad company continued to operate the steamboats, connecting them with its train routes. This joining of steamboats and railroads was done for the same reason the steamboat companies had merged before: to reduce competition. Five months later, the Central Pacific Railroad bought the California Pacific Railroad Company, creating an even bigger transportation monopoly.

Later, a new steamboat company was created that was also called the California Steam Navigation Company, but it had no connection to the original one. This new company also ran steamboats on the Sacramento River. However, in this new world, it was the small, new company trying to offer lower prices against the big, powerful railroad company. This second California Steam Navigation Company stopped existing in June 1889 when it merged with another company.

Ships of the Company

The California Steam Navigation Company owned and rented many ships, barges, and tugs. Not all of them were used all the time. Some were only used during busy seasons, like when farmers needed to transport crops. Some were used only when rivers had high water, allowing them to reach further inland. Other ships were kept as backups for maintenance or damage. Some were even used as floating warehouses or offices. The company also kept many ships anchored and unused. These were often ships bought from competitors just to stop them from competing, or old ships that the company didn't want to sell because they might be used by rivals. The company had a special place in Oakland for its unused ships.

Here are some of the ships the company owned:

Steamboats

• Active (sidewheel steamer): Built in 1849. The company bought her in 1866. She was later sold in 1867 and sadly wrecked in 1870.
• Ajax (propeller steamer): Built in New York in 1864. The company bought her in 1865 for a lot of money. She was sold in 1867.
• Amador (sidewheel steamer): Built for the company and started service in 1869. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Amelia (sidewheel steamer): Launched in 1863 as a ferry. In 1868, she was one of the first steamboats to use oil for fuel instead of coal! She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• American Eagle: One of the original ships when the company formed in 1854. After a boiler explosion, she was turned into a barge.
• Anna Abernethy (sidewheel steamer): Competed against the company in 1854 but was taken over by 1856.
• Antelope (sidewheel steamer): Arrived in California in 1851 and was part of the company when it formed in 1854. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Banner (sternwheel steamer): Started competing with the company in 1862 but was bought by the company by 1863. She was even burned by an arsonist but repaired! She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Belle: One of the original ships in 1854. Her boilers exploded in 1856, killing about two dozen people. She was repaired and renamed Swan to avoid the bad memory.
• Brother Jonathan (sidewheel steamer): The company bought her in 1861. Sadly, she sank in 1865, and many lives were lost.
• C. M. Weber: Started service in 1851 and was one of the original ships in the company in 1854.
• California: Bought by the company in 1865. She was sold in 1867.
• Capital (sidewheel steamer): Built for the company and launched in 1865. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Captain Sutter (sternwheel steamer): One of the original ships in 1854. She sank in 1855 and was too damaged to be repaired.
• Chrysopolis (sidewheel steamer): Built for the company in San Francisco in 1860 for $200,000! She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Camanche: Sank after a collision in 1853, but was repaired and joined the company in 1854. She was likely turned into a barge.
• Clara: One of the original ships in 1854, used briefly as a ferry. She was sold in 1854.
• Cleopatra: One of the original ships in 1854. She was taken apart in 1862.
• Confidence: Sent to San Francisco in 1849 and joined the company in 1854.
• Cora (sidewheel steamer): Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Cornelia (sidewheel steamer): One of the original ships in 1854. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 but was found to be too old in 1872.
• Daniel Moore: One of the original ships in 1854.
• Defiance (sidewheel steamer): Started competing with the company in 1860. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Dover (sternwheel steamer): Built for the company in San Francisco in 1869. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Eclipse: Launched in 1854 to compete with the company, but the company controlled her by 1855. She was turned into a barge.
• Eliza: Built in 1824 and sailed around Cape Horn in 1850. She was one of the original ships in 1854 and was taken apart in 1868.
• Enterprise: Built for the competing Citizens' Steam Navigation Company in 1854. The California Steam Navigation Company took her over in 1855.
• Express: One of the original ships in 1854. She was later owned by a competitor but sold at auction in 1872.
• Flora (sternwheel steamer): Built for the company in 1865 to travel to Marysville, so she was very shallow (only 11 inches deep!). She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Gaudeloupe: One of the original ships in 1854.
• Gazelle: One of the original ships in 1854.
• Gem (sternwheel steamer): Sailed for the company in 1854. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Globe: One of the original ships in 1854. She was used as the company's office and a floating warehouse for a time.
• Goodman Castle (sternwheel steamer): Started sailing as a competitor in 1858, but the company owned her by 1859. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Governor Dana: One of the original ships in 1854.
• Governor Dana III (sternwheel steamship): A shallow ship built for the company's Sacramento-Marysville route, launched in 1863.
• H. T. Clay: Built in New Orleans and assembled in San Francisco in 1850. She was one of the original ships in 1854.
• Hartford: Arrived in San Francisco in 1849. She was almost destroyed by fire but rebuilt and joined the company in 1854. She was taken apart in 1855.
• Helen Hensley (sidewheel steamer): Built by Samuel J. Hensley and joined the company in 1854. She had a boiler explosion that year. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Henrietta (sternwheel steamer): Built in 1857 to compete with the company, but the company owned her by the end of the year.
• J. Bragdon (sidewheel steamer): One of the original ships in 1854. Her engine was moved to another ship, and her hull became a barge.
• James Blair (sternwheel steamer): Built in 1857 to compete, but the company owned her by 1858.
• Julia (sidewheel steamer): Built for the company's Stockton route and launched in 1864. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Kate Kearney: The company sold her in 1856.
• Lark (sternwheel Steamer): Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 and taken apart in 1876.
• New World: One of the original ships in 1854. She was sold to another company in Oregon in 1864.
• Orient: One of the original ships in 1854. She sank and was turned into a barge.
• Orizaba (sidewheel steamer): Bought by the company in 1865. She was sold in 1867.
• Pacific (sidewheel steamer): Bought by the company in 1860. She was sold in 1867.
• Paul Pry (sidewheel steamer): Built in San Francisco in 1854. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Pike: One of the original ships in 1854. She was taken apart in 1860.
• Plumas (sternwheel steamer): One of the original ships in 1854. She sank in 1854 after hitting something in the river.
• Queen City: Built for the competing Citizens' Steam Navigation Company in 1854. The California Steam Navigation Company took her over in 1855.
• Red Bluff (sternwheel steamer): Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Reliance (propeller steamer): Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Senator: Built in New York and came to San Francisco in 1849. She was one of the original ships in 1854. She was sold in 1867.
• Shasta: One of the original ships in 1854, but she was never used again.
• Sophie: One of the original ships in 1854.
• Sophie McLean: Built for the company's San Francisco-San Jose route and launched in 1859. She blew up at the dock in 1865.
• Surprise: Built in San Francisco in 1855 and competed with the company, but was sold to the company by 1855. She was later sold and sent to China, where she was burned.
• Swallow (sternwheel steamer): Built for the company in San Francisco in 1860.
• Swan: Originally named Belle but renamed after a fatal boiler explosion.
• Thomas Hunt: One of the original ships in 1854. She was sold to run on the Columbia River and later went to China.
• Urilda: Built in 1851 and joined the company in 1854. She was turned into a barge in 1860.
• Victor (sternwheel steamer): Built in 1859 to compete with the company, but the company owned her by 1860. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Willamette: Competed with the company in 1854. The company lowered prices, making her unprofitable, and then bought her. She was later taken apart, and her engine was used in the Swallow.
• Wilson G. Hunt (sidewheel steamer): Sent to San Francisco in 1849 and joined the company in 1854. She was bought by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1871.
• Yosemite (sidewheel steamer): Built for the company in San Francisco in 1862. She was bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.

Barges

• Camanche: Converted from a steamer. Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Eclipse: Converted from a steamer. Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• J. Bragdon: Converted from a steamer. Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• Orient: Converted from a steamer. Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.
• San Antonio: Converted from a steamer. Bought by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.

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