The Age of Steam on Lake Temiskaming
by Bruce W Taylor
The Age of Steam on Lake Temiskaming covers only a short period in the history of Lake Temiskaming-a history that dates back 10,000 years to the glaciers and the first aboriginal tribes.
From the arrival of the steamer Mattawan in 1882, to the burning of the Lady Minto in 1962, a period of only 80 years, the region was transformed from a wilderness, to an extensive agricultural, mining, forestry and manufacturing district with modern communities. Steamboats were an important part of that transformation.
Over fifty different steamboats sailed on Lake Temiskaming and its tributary rivers. There were the workhorses- large tugs like the Alexandra that towed huge booms of logs to sawmills down the take; passenger steamers-the most famous was the Meteor; and the "tramps of the wilds" - small steamboats like the Geisha that operated on the smaller lakes and rivers.
This history chronicles the story of these boats, their accomplishments, their failures, their tragedies, and their eventual disappearance from the lake. As well, the history deals with the people behind the boats, the owners, captains, crew and passengers- the pioneers who developed Temiskaming to what it is today.
Go Here for the Table of Contents | Go Here for extensive Index
ISBN: 0-88954-381-X | WMPub#1174 | 8½" x 11"
174 pages, hard cover | $24.95
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER ONE
History of Lake Temiskaming
A Brief History of the Lake Temiskaming Area
Place Names on Lake Temiskaming
CHAPTER TWO
'Me Mattawan - The First Steamboat on the Lake
CHAPTER THREE
The Navigation Companies
The Lumsden Steamboat Line
The Gillies Brothers Lumber Company
The Temiskaming Navigation Company
The Ville Marie Navigation Company
The Haileybury Navigation Company
The Alligators
CHAPTER FOUR
The Upper Ottawa Improvement Company
CHAPTER FIVE
Tramps in the Wilds - The Small Steamers
CHAPTER SIX
The Independents
CHAPTER SEVEN
Docks and Dredges
List of Boats on Lake Temiskaming
Bibliography
Index