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.
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as "cottage country." The town centre borders on two lakes: Lake Muskoka, which is the largest lake in the region, and Gull Lake, a smaller cottage-bordered lake. Another lake, Kahshe Lake, is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town.
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is the North Channel.
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park in the east. A two-hour drive north of Toronto, it spans 6,475 km2 (2,500 sq mi). It has some 1,600 lakes, making it a popular cottaging destination.
The Township of Muskoka Lakes is a municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It has a year-round population of 7,652.
Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) is a shipping company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The business has been operating for well over a century and a half.
RMS Segwun is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 as Nipissing to cruise the Muskoka Lakes in the Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, a resort area with many lakes and rivers. Early in the 20th century, Muskoka was poorly served by roads. Vacationers were transported to lodges, or private cottages, via a fleet of steamships. Segwun is the oldest of only three ships in the world still carrying the status of Royal Mail Ship, and the only steamer.
Bala is a compact rural community in the township municipality of Muskoka Lakes, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. It is well-known for the Bala Falls, the source of the Moon River, which flows from Lake Muskoka to the Georgian Bay.
The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was the first steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway (CNR). Several sections of the line are still used by CNR and GO Transit.
Severn Bridge is a small community in the Town of Gravenhurst, of the District of Muskoka in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately 160 kilometres north of Toronto, on the Severn River, roughly halfway between Orillia and Gravenhurst. Its population was around 300 in 1992. It was founded in the nineteenth century. The village is served by important road, rail, water links and its postal services and rural route are handled in Washago, Ontario.
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily within the boundary of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, the southeast corner is within the boundary of the Town of Gravenhurst, and another small portion around the mouth of the Muskoka River is within the boundary of the Town of Bracebridge. The town of Bala is located on the southwestern shores of the lake, where the Moon River starts. Lake Muskoka is connected to Lake Rosseau through the Indian River and lock system at Port Carling. The lake is mainly fed by the Muskoka River, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau.
Alexander Peter Cockburn was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He represented Victoria North in the 1st Parliament of Ontario and Muskoka and then Ontario North in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1887.
James Playfair was noted for his entrepreneurship in the Great Lakes shipping, lumbering, grain handling, and industrial manufacturing businesses. He was a central figure in the establishment of Midland, Ontario, Canada. The son of John Speirs Playfair and Georgina Hall of Montreal, in 1889 Playfair married Sarah Charlotte Ogilvie (1858-1945), youngest daughter of Senator A.W. Ogilvie of Montreal, former president of Ogilvie Flour Mills.
Beaumaris is a small settlement in Ontario, Canada, on Lake Muskoka which once served as an important transit point during the steamship era on the lake, and once hosted a summer hotel, called the Beaumaris Hotel. The settlement is located on Tondern Island which, though a true island, is attached to the mainland by a small bridge at Milford Bay. Currently the settlement sports a government pier, The Beaumaris Marina, a general store dubbed Willmotts Store after a prominent Beaumaris family, Saint John's Anglican Church, and a private summer club; the Beaumaris Yacht Club.
Wenonah II is a modern excursion vessel constructed to offer passengers the look and feel of the early 20th century steamships. She is homeported in Gravenhurst, Ontario, and is operated by Muskoka Steamships, which also operates RMS Segwun. Segwun is the last surviving original steamship from the fleet of several dozen that served the county of Muskoka, Ontario in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Port Sandfield is a community on Lake Rosseau in Ontario, Canada, located within and governed by the municipality of Muskoka Lakes. It was founded in 1870, when a canal was built connecting Lake Joseph to Lake Rosseau. Alexander Peter Cockburn, a member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament and founder and first President of the Muskoka Settlers’ Association played a leading role in getting the canal funded. The canal was funded at the same time as a lock at Port Carling. The canal and lock allowed a fleet of steamboats to carry freight, mail, cargo and timber over the three largest lakes in the county of Muskoka.
The Muskoka Wharf is located in the town of Gravenhurst, Ontario on the southern edge of Muskoka Bay on Lake Muskoka. The Muskoka Wharf is the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest operating steamship in North America and the last surviving original steamship from the fleet of several dozen that served the county of Muskoka, Ontario in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the Wenonah II, a modern replica of an early 20th-century steamship. The Muskoka Wharf, once a vibrant hub of economic activity at the union of a major railroad terminus and steamship port, fell into decline as roads and automobiles were introduced to the region, but has experienced a major economic resurgence since the creation of a heritage-based development area in 2005.
