The Oblate order operated the St. Alphonse on the Mackenzie River, Great Slave Lake and the lower Slave River | |
History | |
---|---|
Name | St. Alphonse |
Owner | Brothers of the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate |
Launched | 1895 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steamboat |
Tonnage | 28.9 (gross), 19.5 (registered) |
Length | 60 feet (18 m) |
Beam | 12 feet (3.7 m) |
The St. Alphonse was a small steamship operated by the Brothers of the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate, in the Northwest Territories. [1] The order built a small fleet of steamboats to transit the Mackenzie River and its tributaries. Although fastmoving, the Mackenzie River is navigable along its entire length. But the Order required multiple vessels because some of the major tributaries, like the Peace River, Slave River had rapids that were too fast, or too shallow for navigation.
The St. Alphonse traveled on the Mackenzie itself, Great Slave Lake, and the lower Slave River, to the portage near Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. [1]
Tulita, which in Slavey means "where the rivers or waters meet," is a hamlet in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was formerly known as Fort Norman, until 1 January 1996. It is located at the junction of the Great Bear River and the Mackenzie River; the Bear originates at Great Bear Lake adjacent to Deline.
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Marine Transportation Services (MTS) formerly Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) is a marine transportation company operating primarily in the Mackenzie River watershed of the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta, and the Arctic Ocean using a fleet of diesel tug boats and shallow-draft barges. NTCL filed for bankruptcy in 2016 and its assets were acquired by the Government of the Northwest Territories later that year.
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