The Canadian Pacific River Lake and River Service, also known as the British Columbia Lake and River Service, was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) which began operating passenger and cargo shipping routes along British Columbia's inland waters during the late 19th century.
In 1884, CPR began purchasing sailing ships as part of a railway supply service on the Great Lakes. Over time, CPR became a railroad company with widely organized water transportation auxiliaries including the Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Service, the Trans-Pacific service, the British Columbia Coast Steamships, the British Columbia Lake and River Service, the Trans-Atlantic service, and the Ferry service. [1]
In the 20th century, the company evolved into a transcontinental railroad which operated two transoceanic services which connected Canada with Europe and with Asia. The range of CPR services were aspects of an integrated plan.
CPR's expansion in the West included expanding routes. [2] More ships were added to the inland waters fleet. For example, in 1901 CPR built three sternwheelers for use on the Yukon River — the Tyrrell, the Duschesnay, and the Dawson. [3] The investment in more ships was accompanied by increased numbers of CPR workers. Expansion required additional CPR station and terminal structures to be built. [4]
| CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LAKE AND RIVER FLEET | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Service | Vessel Name | Launch Date | Maiden Voyage | Other Names | Notes | Loss Date |
| Canadian Pacific Railway (1884–1915) | ||||||
| 1893 | Aberdeen [5] | 1893 | 1893 | Lake Okanagan | 1919 | |
| 1911 | Bonnington [6] | 1911 | 1911 | service on Arrow Lakes BC | 1931 | |
| Dawson [3] | . | . | . | Yukon River [3] | . | |
| Duschesnay [3] | . | . | . | Yukon River [3] | . | |
| Kaleden | . | . | . | Lake Okanagan | . | |
| Kootenay | . | . | . | . | . | |
| Kuskanook | . | . | . | . | . | |
| Lytton | . | . | . | service on Arrow Lakes BC | ||
| Minto | . | . | . | . | . | |
| Moyie | . | . | . | . | ||
| Naramata | . | . | . | At Penticton, near the Sicamous. Restored | . | |
| 1907 | Okanagan [7] | 1907 | 1907 | 1938 | ||
| 1914 | Sicamous [8] | 1914 | 1914 | Lake Okanagan; museum ship at Penticton, BC | 1949 | |
| Tyrell [3] | . | . | . | Yukon River [3] | . | |
| York | . | . | . | Lake Okanagan | . | |
Despite many changes, including corporate mergers and restructuring, some elements of the lake service continue to operate.
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CP Ships was a large Canadian shipping company established in the 19th century. From the late 1880s until after World War II, the company was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships. Many immigrants travelled on CP ships from Europe to Canada. In 1914 the sinking of the Canadian Pacific steamship RMS Empress of Ireland just before World War I became largest maritime disaster in Canadian history. The company provided Canadian Merchant Navy vessels in World Wars I and II. Twelve vessels were lost due to enemy action in World War II, including the RMS Empress of Britain, which was the largest ship ever sunk by a German U-boat.
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The era of steamboats on the Arrow Lakes and adjoining reaches of the Columbia River is long-gone but was an important part of the history of the West Kootenay and Columbia Country regions of British Columbia Canada. The Arrow Lakes are formed by the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia. Steamboats were employed on both sides of the border in the upper reaches of the Columbia, linking port towns on either side of the border, and sometimes boats would be built in one country and operated in the other. Tributaries of the Columbia include the Kootenay River which rises in Canada, then flows south into the United States, then bends north again back into Canada, where it widens into Kootenay Lake. As with the Arrow Lakes, steamboats once operated on the Kootenay River and Kootenay Lake.
James William Troup was an American steamship captain, Canadian Pacific Railway administrator and shipping pioneer.
The Rossland was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia. It was named after Rossland, British Columbia, once a prosperous mining town in the region.
SS Princess Helene was a passenger and cargo ferry operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
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The Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Service, also known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Steamships, was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), which began operating passenger and cargo shipping routes in the Great Lakes during the late 19th century.
SS Princess Adelaide was a passenger vessel in the coastal service fleet of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) during the first half of the 20th century.
SS Princess Mary was a passenger vessel in the coastal service fleet of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) during the first half of the 20th century.
Princess Beatrice was a steamship built for and owned by the marine division of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The ship served from 1903 to 1928 in the coastal waters of British Columbia. The ship also operated on Puget Sound on a route from Victoria, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington. Princess Beatrice was the first ship to operate in the year-round steamship service between Seattle and Victoria that was run by CPR from 1904 to 1959. This ship should not be confused with an earlier Princess Beatrice, built in Scotland in 1874, which served on the Atlantic coast of Canada.
Canadian National Tug no. 6 was a diesel-powered tugboat owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) company on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia. It was launched in 1948 and transferred railway barges between Penticton and Kelowna. It was retired in 1973, becoming the last of many tugboats to operate on Okanagan Lake. Tug 6 was moved to Penticton in 2007 to rest alongside the SS Naramata and SS Sicamous, two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) steamboats, as part of the S.S. Sicamous Inland Marine Museum. The ships are currently being restored by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society.
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