Steamboats of the Peace River facts for kids
The Peace River flows from the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. It goes all the way to Lake Athabasca in Alberta. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, steamboats could travel on parts of this river. They went from the Rocky Mountain Falls at Hudson's Hope to Fort Vermilion. There were rapids at Fort Vermilion, so boats had to stop. Then, other boats could travel on the lower Peace River from Vermilion to Lake Athabasca.
The Peace River is part of a bigger river system called the Mackenzie Basin. This system also includes the Athabasca, Slave, and Mackenzie Rivers. The Athabasca River had big rapids at Grande Rapids. The Slave River also had large rapids at Fort Smith. Because of these rapids, rivers were like sections. Different boats worked on different parts of the rivers. The Peace River system was the western part of this big river network.
People traveling to the Peace River area would often walk or use Red River Carts. They would start from Fort Edmonton and go about 80 miles north to Athabasca Landing. Boats heading for the Peace River area would travel north on the Athabasca River to Lake Athabasca. Then, they would turn southwest to reach the mouth of the Peace River. Before steamboats, canoes were the main way to travel in this area.
The very first motorized boat on the Peace River was the SS Grahame. The Hudson's Bay Company built it in Fort Chipewyan during the winter of 1882–83. This boat carried goods about 200 miles (320 km) up the Peace River to Vermilion Chutes. At the chutes, workers would carry the goods around the rapids. Then, they would load them onto smaller boats like scows and canoes to continue the journey.
In the early days, steamboats were very important for moving things. They carried food and supplies into the area. They also took wheat and livestock out. These boats traveled about 500 miles on the Peace River and 250 miles (400 km) on the Athabasca. Places like Rolla, Taylor, Dunvegan, Peace River Landing, and Fort Vermilion were common stopping points.
Sternwheelers on the Peace River
A sternwheeler is a type of steamboat that has a large paddle wheel at the back. This wheel pushes the boat through the water. The Catholic mission at Dunvegan started the first sternwheeler, the `St. Charles`, in 1902. Bishop Émile Grouard had it built mainly to help with his missionary work. It also carried goods for the North-West Mounted Police and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC).
In 1905, the HBC launched its own sternwheeler, the `Peace River`. This boat was built at Fort Vermilion. It was 110-foot (34 m) long and could carry 40 tons of goods. The `Peace River` worked on the river for ten years. After that, it was taken through the rapids below Fort Vermilion.
Steamboats could only operate for a limited time each year. They often made only three or four trips. These trips up and down the river could take several weeks. The time depended on the river conditions and sand bars. Boats did not travel at night because it was too hard to see.
Wood was the main fuel for these sternwheelers. They could burn a lot of wood, sometimes three or four cords per hour. A cord is a large stack of wood. Passengers did not always have an easy trip. Even though workers were hired to cut and stack wood along the river, the boats used so much fuel. Sometimes, passengers had to help. They would go ashore with saws and axes to cut more wood. The steamboat season was short because of winter and ice. Boats had to be pulled out of the water in winter to protect them from the ice.
The Peace River area started to develop later than other places, around 1910. This is when more steamboats began to appear. The `Grenfell` was built in 1912 at Peace River. Sadly, it sank just two years later. The `Northland Call` was also built in Peace River. It operated for about six years in the 1910s.
The `D.A. Thomas` was a very large sternwheeler. It was built in 1915 by Baron Rhondda from Wales. He was a rich coal businessman. He wanted to use the coal and oil in Chetwynd. So, he built this huge 168-foot (51 m) boat. The `D.A. Thomas` was not very successful, partly because of the First World War. It ran until 1929. The `D.A. Thomas` traveled on the Peace River until the late 1920s. But as railways expanded into the area, the steamboat became too expensive to run. In June 1930, it went over the Vermilion Chutes. It was damaged on the rocks and then slowly made its way to Fort Fitzgerald. There, it was taken apart. Some parts were used for other things, like storing grain. Other sternwheelers from that time included the `Pine Pass`, the `Northland Echo`, and the `Lady Mackworth`. The `Lady Mackworth` was a sister ship to the `D.A. Thomas`.
The End of the Steamboat Era
From 1915 to 1925, the Peace River became an easier way to travel north. The town of Peace River became a major shipping point. Boats were moved to work on the upper and lower Peace River, and the Slave River. During this time, the Hudson's Bay Company sent all their boats down the Peace River system to the Mackenzie River chain. These boats included the `Prospector` and `Distributor`. They were even used during the war for a project called Canol at Norman Wells. The Hudson's Bay Company boats continued to operate until 1948.
New inventions like the Model T Ford car, the bulldozer, and new gravel roads meant the end for river steamers in the Peace River area. Also, railways made river travel less important. The Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway reached Dawson Creek in 1930. This completely ended the steamboat era there. Further east, the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway built tracks around the worst rapids on the Upper Athabasca River. This made Waterways, which is now Fort McMurray, the main transport hub for the Peace and Athabasca Rivers. Other railways tried to help with transport, but they were weakened by the Great Depression and were never finished.
Smaller boats continued to work on the Peace River for another 20 years. But the time of the big steamboats was over. The last commercial trip carrying goods up the Peace River was made by the `Watson Lake` in September 1952. This boat had a steel hull. After its last trip, it was pulled out of the water. It was then loaded onto a train car and sent by rail to Waterways. It continued to work further north.
In 1942, the US Army built a diesel-powered paddle boat. It was used to help raise the Peace River Suspension Bridge (which was part of the Alaska Highway). This bridge had a history of collapsing, like the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The Peace River Bridge collapsed again in 1957.
List of Vessels
- `D.A. Thomas` - This was a paddlewheeler. It was 187 feet (57 m) long and 37 feet (11 m) wide. It could carry 300 tons of cargo and 300 passengers. It started service in 1916 for the Peace River Development Co. Later, the Alberta Arctic Transportation Co. (1921) and Hudson's Bay Co. (1924) operated it. It worked on the Peace River until 1930.
- `Canadusa` - This was a gas motor vessel. The Alberta Arctic Transportation Co. operated it on the Peace River. In the 1930s, the Hudson's Bay Company later used it on Lake Athabasca and the Athabasca River.
