Steamboats of Lake Chelan

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Lake Chelan is a long, glacially-carved lake in the central part of the North Cascades mountain range in northwestern Washington State. Via the short Chelan River, it is a tributary to the Okanogan River, a tributary of the Columbia. Access to points along the lake has been primarily by water, and in the early 1900s, this was done by steamboat. Located at the head of the lake is Stehekin, a resort community.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboat</span> Smaller than a steamship; boat in which the primary method of marine propulsion is steam power

A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS ; however, these designations are most often used for steamships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Chelan</span> Lake in Chelan County, Washington, United States

Lake Chelan is a narrow, 50.5 mi (81.3 km) long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. It is an overdeepened lake and resembles a fjord, with an average width of 1.3 mi (2.1 km). Near its upper end, the lake surface lies more than 6,600 ft (2,000 m) below peaks less than 3 mi (4.8 km) away. Before 1927, Lake Chelan was the largest natural lake in the state in terms of both surface area and water volume. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 ft (6.4 m) to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1,100 ft (340 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stehekin, Washington</span> Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

Stehekin is a small unincorporated community in Chelan County, Washington. The name "Stehekin" comes from a word in the Salishan language that means "the way through". Stehekin has somewhat more than 100 permanent residents, although its population swells during the summer with vacationers and seasonal workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stehekin River</span> River in Washington, United States

The Stehekin River is a river located in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is the main river flowing into Lake Chelan. Miners arrived in Stehekin River Valley in the late 19th century. They were followed by homesteaders in the early 20th century. Today, the Stehekin River Valley is still a remote area that can only be reached by way of a 55-mile boat ride up Lake Chelan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Chelan National Recreation Area</span>

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is a national recreation area located about 35 miles (56 km) south of the Canada–US border in Chelan County, Washington. It encompasses an area of 61,958 acres (25,074 ha) including the northern end of Lake Chelan and the surrounding area of the Stehekin Valley and the Stehekin River. The area is managed by the U.S. National Park Service as part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.

The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters in the Arthurian legend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboats of the Willamette River</span>

The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point 101 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S. state of Oregon.

<i>Rossland</i> (sternwheeler)

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.

<i>Lytton</i> (sternwheeler) Canadian sternwheel steamboat

Lytton was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia and northeastern Washington from 1890 to 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House</span> United States historic place

The Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House is a National Park Service ranger residence located in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area of northern Washington. The building was built at Purple Point above Lake Chelan in the small, unincorporated community of Stehekin, Washington. It was originally constructed by the United States Forest Service to serve as the residence for the Stehekin District ranger. The Forest Service later converted it into a summer guard station. The building was transferred to the National Park Service in 1968 when the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area was established. The Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<i>North Star</i> (1902 sternwheeler)

North Star was a sternwheel steamboat that operated in eastern Washington from 1902 to 1904. This vessel should not be confused with the other vessels, some of similar design, also named North Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckner Homestead Historic District</span> Historic district in Washington, United States

The Buckner Homestead Historic District, near Stehekin, Washington in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area incorporates a group of structures relating to the theme of early settlement in the Lake Chelan area. Representing a time period of over six decades, from 1889 to the 1950s, the district comprises 15 buildings, landscape structures and ruins, and over 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land planted in orchard and criss-crossed by hand-dug irrigation ditches. The oldest building on the farm is a cabin built in 1889. The Buckner family bought the farm in 1910 and remained there until 1970, when the property was sold to the National Park Service. The Buckner Cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The rest of the Buckner farm became a historic district in 1989. Today, the National Park Service maintains the Buckner homestead and farm as an interpretive center to give visitors a glimpse at pioneer farm life in the Stehekin Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James D. Miller</span> American steamboat captain (1830–1914)

James D. Miller was a steamboat captain in the Pacific Northwest from 1851 to 1903. He became well known for his long length of service, the large number of vessels he commanded, and the many different geographical areas in which he served.

<i>Alligator</i> (steamboat) Steamboat in Florida

The Alligator was an inboard paddle-wheel steamboat that operated in the interior of Central Florida in the United States from 1888 to 1909. Archeologist Clarence Bloomfield Moore leased the steamer each year from 1891 to 1895 for his annual excursions to explore the St. Johns River and tributaries for Native American artifacts. On 5 November 1909, the paddle-steamer caught fire and sank ending its 21 years of service in the passenger and freight business. In December 2008, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program led a search of the east side of Crescent Lake for the sunken wreckage of the Alligator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckner Mountain</span> Mountain in Washington (state), United States

Buckner Mountain is a tall peak in the North Cascades of Washington state and in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park. At 9,114 feet (2,778 m) in elevation it is the highest in Skagit County and one of about ten of Washington's non-volcanic peaks above 9,000 feet high. It is ranked as the 14th highest peak in the state, and the third highest peak in North Cascades National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden West Visitor Center</span>

The Golden West Visitor Center is located at the southeast unit of North Cascades National Park Complex in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. It sits at the southern end of the small town of Stehekin, Washington and is the only National Park Service visitor center in the southeast unit of the Park Complex. It is the main ranger station for all traffic in and out from the south end of the park via boat, seaplane or by foot from the many hiking trails linking the Stehekin River Valley to the outside world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucerne, Washington</span> Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

Lucerne is an unincorporated community in Chelan County, Washington, United States. Lucerne is assigned the ZIP code 98816.

<i>Bonita</i> (1900 sternwheeler)

Bonita was a steamboat which operated on the Willamette and Yamhill rivers. This boat was renamed Metlako in 1902, and operated under that name until 1924 on the Columbia River and its tributaries, the Cowlitz, Lewis and Lake rivers. In 1924, Metlako was renamed B. H. Smith Jr., operating under that name until 1931, when the steamer was abandoned. As Bonita, in September 1900, this vessel was the first steamer to pass through the Yamhill locks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow Falls (Chelan County)</span> Waterfall in Washington, United States

Rainbow Falls is a waterfall on Rainbow Creek in the U.S. state of Washington. The waterfall is located inside the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in the North Cascades National Park, and is near Stehekin. The falls drops 392 feet (119.5 m) in two tiers. The uppermost tier falls 312 feet (95.1 m) to a basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGregor Mountain (Washington)</span> Mountain in Washington (state), United States

McGregor Mountain is an 8,122-foot (2,476-metre) elevation massif located in the Stehekin Valley of the North Cascades, in Chelan County of Washington state. McGregor Mountain is situated northwest of Lake Chelan in the northern Methow Mountains, on the shared border of North Cascades National Park and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The closest community is Stehekin, and the nearest higher neighbor is Goode Mountain, 7.3 miles (11.7 km) to the northwest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Stehekin River. Topographic relief is significant since the southern aspect of the mountain rises 6,600 feet above this river in approximately two miles. The famous Pacific Crest Trail traverses the western base of this mountain, and the strenuous 7.7-mile (12.4 km) McGregor Mountain Trail gains 6,400 feet of elevation to take hikers within a half-mile of the summit. Reaching the summit requires exposed scrambling the final 1,100 feet, and an ice axe is needed if the trail remains covered by snowpack. The summit was the site of an old fire lookout cabin from 1923 until 1955, but now has a radio repeater for the National Park Service. The views from the top include Glacier Peak, Black Peak, Corteo Peak, Frisco Mountain, Tupshin Peak, Dome Peak, Glory Mountain, and many others. This mountain was named for Billy McGregor, a Stehekin Valley resident who had a cabin and homestead at the base of this mountain during the 1890s. In May 1901, Billy disappeared overnight from a boat docked in Lake Chelan, and was never seen or heard from again.

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