The Age of Steam on Lake Temiskaming

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.

author Bruce Taylor

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