DeSmet (boat)

Last updated

The DeSmet on Lake McDonald GlacierNP DeSmet.jpg
The DeSmet on Lake McDonald

Built in 1930, the DeSmet was constructed to carry passengers on Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park. In 2017 the DeSmet was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [1]

Contents

History

Captain J.W. Swanson built the tour boat DeSmet in 1930, for the Glacier Park Transport Company. In 1938, Arthur J. Burch purchased the contract to provide boat services in Glacier National Park. The DeSmet was named after Father Pierre DeSmet, a prominent Jesuit missionary in the area. [2]

Specifications

The DeSmet is a 57-foot carvel planked launch with cedar on an oak frame. The vessel is authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard to carry 70 passengers.

Current operations

The DeSmet has run annually since 1930 and operates daily from mid-May until late September. During summer operations the vessel is docked behind the Lake McDonald Lodge and is used to provide boat rides to tourists in Glacier National Park. During winter months the DeSmet is stored in the historic Fish Creek Bay Boathouse at the foot of Lake McDonald. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier National Park (U.S.)</span> Park in Montana on the Canadian border

Glacier National Park is an American national park located in northwestern Montana, on the Canada–United States border, adjacent to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada—the two parks are known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The park encompasses more than 1 million acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges, more than 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem," a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 sq mi (41,000 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddle steamer</span> Steam-powered vessel propelled by paddle wheels

A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans.

<i>Eureka</i> (ferryboat)

Eureka is a side-wheel paddle steamboat, built in 1890, which is now preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California. Originally named Ukiah to commemorate the railway's recent extension into the City of Ukiah, the boat was built by the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company at their Tiburon yard. Eureka has been designated a National Historic Landmark and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Island ferries</span>

The Toronto Island ferries connect the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario to the mainland of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main city-operated ferry services carry passengers (all) and commercial vehicles (some) from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street to three docks on the islands. Private motor vehicles are not carried. The ferry operated by PortsToronto carries passengers and vehicles to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the island from the foot of Eireann Quay. Additional private ferries carry passengers to various island boat clubs. Ferry services to the islands began in 1833, and the Toronto Island Ferry Company began in 1883.

<i>Minnehaha</i> (steamboat) US historic restored ship

Minnehaha is a steam-powered excursion vessel on Lake Minnetonka in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The vessel was originally in service between 1906 and 1926. After being scuttled in 1926, Minnehaha was raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1980, restored, and returned to active service in 1996. The vessel operated uninterrupted on Lake Minnetonka until 2019. It is currently stored in a maintenance facility in the town of Excelsior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake McDonald Lodge</span> United States historic place

The Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic lodge located within Glacier National Park, on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald. The lodge is a 3+12-story structure built in 1913 based on Kirtland Cutter's design. The foundation and first floor walls are built of stone, with a wood-frame superstructure. The lobby is a large, open space that extends to the third story. It has a massive fireplace and a concrete floor scored in a flagstone pattern, with messages in several Indian languages inscribed into it. The rustic lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 as one of the nation's finest examples of large-scale Swiss chalet architecture. Lake McDonald Lodge is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

<i>Virginia V</i> American commercial steamship

The steamship Virginia V is the last operational example of a Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet steamer. She was once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in Washington state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is a Seattle landmark and a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Jammers</span> Motor vehicle

Red Jammers are the vintage White Motor Company/Bender Body Company Model 706 buses used at Glacier National Park in the United States to transport park visitors since 1936. While the buses are called reds for their distinctive livery, painted to match the color of ripe mountain ash berries, the bus drivers are called jammers because of the sound the gears made when the driver shifts on the steep roads of the park. The "jamming" sound came from the unsynchronized transmissions, where double-clutching was required to shift gears prior to a 1989 retrofit that added automatic transmissions.

<i>Yankee</i> (ferry)

Yankee is an early-20th-century steel hulled ferry which is registered as a historic vessel with the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2006 it was berthed in Hoboken, New Jersey. In mid-2013, the ferry was moved to the Henry Street pier in the Gowanus Bay Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

SS <i>Christopher Columbus</i> US Great Lakes excursion liner (1893–1933)

The SS Christopher Columbus was an American excursion liner on the Great Lakes, in service between 1893 and 1933. She was the only whaleback ship ever built for passenger service. The ship was designed by Alexander McDougall, the developer and promoter of the whaleback design.

<i>Wapama</i> (steam schooner)

Wapama, also known as Tongass, was a vessel last located in Richmond, California. She was the last surviving example of some 225 wooden steam schooners that served the lumber trade and other coastal services along the Pacific Coast of the United States. She was managed by the National Park Service at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park until dismantled in August 2013.

<i>Urania</i> (steamboat) American passenger and merchant ship (1907–1941)

The steamboat Urania was a vessel that operated on Lake Washington and Puget Sound in the first part of the 20th century.

<i>Victory Chimes</i> (schooner)

The three-masted schooner Victory Chimes, also known as Edwin and Maud or Domino Effect, is a US National Historic Landmark. She is the last surviving Chesapeake Ram schooner. The boat on the Maine State Quarter is meant to resemble the Victory Chimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle Royale Line</span>

The Isle Royale Line – previously Isle Royale Ferry Service – is a transportation service between Copper Harbor, Michigan and Isle Royale National Park. It is the successor of a series of ferry services between the Keewenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, operating six vessels since 1930 under different owners: Water Lily, Copper Queen, and four named Isle Royale Queen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee Shop</span> United States historic place

The Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee Shop is a visitor services building in the Lake McDonald district of Glacier National Park, Montana. The coffee shop was built in 1965 as part of the National Park Service's Mission 66 program to upgrade visitor facilities, in order to increase visitor dining capacity. Under the Mission 66 projects, visitor facilities were usually comprehensive in nature, providing a range of visitor services. Specialized concession buildings like the Coffee Shop were unusual in Mission 66. It was leased to the Glacier Park Company for operation, in anticipation of the construction of lodging facilities by the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly's Camp Historic District</span> Historic district in Montana, United States

Kelly's Camp is a small district of vacation cabins on the west shore of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Kelly's Camp consists of twelve log buildings along the western shore of the lake. The structures were notable for being one of the most extensive summer cabin enclaves remaining in the park. Early reports following the advance of the Howe Ridge Fire on August 12, 2018 are that nine or ten structures have been destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windermere Lake Cruises</span> Company operating ships and boats on Lake Windermere in the English Lake District

Windermere Lake Cruises is a boat company which provides leisure trips on Windermere in the central part of the English Lake District. It is based in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria.

SY Tern

SY Tern, now operating as MY Tern, is a passenger vessel on Windermere, England. Launched in 1891 she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway. She underwent several changes in owner as companies were merged throughout the twentieth century, and spent time as a sea cadet training ship during the Second World War. Refitted several times, her original steam engines have been replaced with diesel engines. Tern is the oldest vessel operating on Windermere, and is a member of the National Historic Fleet. She is currently operated by Windermere Lake Cruises as the flagship of their fleet.

<i>Morning Eagle</i> United States historic place

The Morning Eagle is a tour boat located on Lake Josephine in Glacier National Park. The vessel was constructed in 1945, by J.W. Swanson and Arthur J. Burch. The Morning Eagle was originally named Big Chief and was launched on Swiftcurrent Lake. The name was changed in 1960 and the vessel was moved to Lake Josephine. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. All of the vessel's maintenance is conducted on-site.

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, Tristan. "Keeping Glacier National Park's aged wooden boats afloat". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. "History". Glacier Park Boat Company. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.