The SS Moyie is the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world. Located against the stunning scenery of the town of Kaslo in the mountains of British Columbia, the S.S. Moyie awaits all who want to step back in time and experience life at the turn of the last century.
The sights, sounds and smells of the sternwheeler era have all been recreated aboard this grand vessel.
The S.S. Moyie sternwheeler is one of the most significant preserved steam passenger vessels in North America. When the Moyie was retired in 1957, after a 59-year career with the Canadian Pacific Railway’s BC Lake and River Service, she was the last operating passenger sternwheeler in Canada. She is in a surprisingly complete state for a vessel with such a long service record.
The Moyie was originally ordered by the CPR for a planned “All Canadian Route” to the Klondike. When the bill authorizing the essential railway link failed to pass the Canadian Senate in 1898, the CPR began to dispose of its fleet of vessels, and the Moyie was shipped by rail to Nelson for service on Kootenay Lake.
The Moyie began service on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing Route on December 7, 1898, to connect with the newly completed rail line from southern Alberta through the Crowsnest Pass to the lower end of Kootenay Lake. The Moyie operated on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing Route as the major vessel (the “Crow Boat”), providing the service until the construction of the larger and faster S.S. Kuskanook in 1906. It appears that the Moyie strayed little from the “Crow Boat” service during these years except for operation on the occasional excursion. The Moyie connected with the trains, its Dining Saloon providing the sole eating facility on the service. By 1900, however, buffet cars were included in trains to Kootenay Landing. After completion of the Kuskanook in 1906, the Moyie was assigned to secondary routes from Nelson or Procter to Kaslo and other smaller communities along the shore of Kootenay Lake, in particular, Lardeau and Argenta.
The early 1900s were a period of rapid population growth in the West Kootenays. Mining, agriculture and tourism were expanding. The end of the population explosion began when the first World War came. The major mining booms had passed and road and rail expansion gradually reduced the need for steamer services.
Three large sternwheelers completed just before the war were to be used for the heavy summer season traffic on Kootenay Lake and to increase accommodations on the major mainline routes, thereby relegating the Moyie to local and freight services.
Into the 1920s, the Moyie continued as a relief vessel. Her duties were many and varied and, except for refitting, she appears to have been in almost constant service – on average, all but one or two days a month. She was sometimes used as a tug on the Procter-Kootenay Landing Route, but more often she worked barges around the lake on a varied daily schedule that saw the steamer leaving early in the morning and not tying up until late in the evening. With a crew comprised of from 14 to 21 men, she hauled such commodities as powder, oil, apples, lumber, coal and ore concentrates.
The Moyie was also used on excursions during this period and as many as 200 passengers were carried. For example, on July 30, 1924 an excursion was operated between Nelson and Procter with 217 people on the eastbound trip and 183 returning to Nelson late in the day. Nelson to Procter and Nelson to Kaslo were favourite excursion routes. Vessels were operated to Kaslo as a traditional part of the May 24th holiday celebrations.
The extension of the CPR mainline along the West shore of Kootenay Lake in December 31, 1930, enabled the railway to retire its mainline steamer and tug and barge service on Kootenay Lake, leaving only limited passenger and barge service to outlying points along the lake. With the retirement or sale of all vessels except the S.S. Moyie (and S.S. Granthall, her relief vessel), a new pattern of operation was established that remained in place until the retirement of the Moyie in 1957. Based at Procter, the Moyie provided once-weekly scheduled passenger service to Kaslo and other lake points and also moved railcar barges (transfer barges) to Lardeau and Riondel as required. The Moyie also continued to provide excursion service on the lake.
The day-to-day routine was not significantly different from the previous period in the vessel’s history, but the passenger service standards were lower and the Moyie was part of a much smaller operation. Her role was equivalent to the service provided by a mixed train on a branch line of the railway. The Moyie also served as a relief vessel for the government ferries crossing Kootenay Lake when they were being refitted.
By the 1950s the Moyie had become, in effect, a sternwheeled, passenger carrying tug, a role she was not originally designed to fill but had been doing so effectively for many years. On April 27, 1957, the Moyie was retired from CPR service. At high water the next spring, the vessel was moved to Kaslo and beached. The City of Kaslo had purchased the SS Moyie from the Canadian Pacific Railway for $1.00. To oversee preservation of the ship, the Kootenay Lake Historical Society (KLHS) was incorporated under the Societies Act on June 12, 1958, with the mandate to preserve and maintain the 1898 CPR passenger sternwheeler, and to promote awareness of Kaslo and area’s local history.
Since then a dedicated group of volunteers has brought the ship through 40 years of fundraising, preservation and restoration to see her celebrate her 100th year in 1998. The site welcomes over 25,000 annual tourists: 12,500 visitors from around the world tour the ship. With an active Board and membership of over 200, the KLHS distributes periodic newsletters and participates in various community events. With the Moyie’s restoration phase nearly complete, the Kootenay Lake Historical Society is currently developing a long-range business plan to carry the ship into her next 100 years.
The SS Moyie is open daily, mid-May through mid-October from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. A self-guided tour with walk-about brochure (available in English, French and German), a 9-minute video, and a tour of the pilot house is included with admission. There’s an opportunity to blow the original ship’s whistle and interpretive guides are available to answer questions. The average tour duration is 30 to 90 minutes, but take as much time as you like – there’s a lot to see! Special guided tours are available for groups with advance notice.
Amenities at hand include the Visitor Reception/Interpretation Centre, the Kaslo & Area Visitor Centre, the gift shop, washrooms, an after-hours information kiosk and pay telephone. The beach, good restaurants and a variety of shops are all nearby.
Contact Details:
S.S. Moyie National Historic Site
324 Front Street
Kaslo, BC
V0G 1M0
Telephone: 250-353-2525
