It’s Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Pharmasave Huntsville!
This is the Northern. She was the first steamer on the north Muskoka lakes. She was launched at Port Sydney in 1877 and had a hinged smoke stack so that she could pass under the original Huntsville bridge which did not swing until 1889. The Northern was built and owned by Captain Alfred Denton and carried passengers and freight to Huntsville and Hoodstown. She spent her last days as a tug, and made her last trip in 1893. She was dismantled in 1897. (Photo and details courtesy of Muskoka Digital Archives.)
See more Wayback Wednesday photos here.
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In Capt. Hunt papers there are charges listed by Denton.Smiley&Co. toward the building of that steamer Northern.
Painting the name panels and name: $8.50
Glazing 3 cabin windows .25
15 1/2 cords of wood 11.62
Delivering wood @ .20 per load 1.40
People were excited that the steamer was being built an with the Locks being built, there would be transport to Huntsville that didn’t involve carrying or riding a wagon over none jarring roads.
And it’s almost unbelievable you could buy wood for $ .95 a cord delivered. That would have been all 4′ wood.
There would likely have been places along the route that the steamer could stop and pick up boiler wood as needed.
And all for only 16 years service.
‘Live fast. Tug hard. Die young.’
So to speak.