BC & Yukon Lake & River Stern Wheelers

[WettCoast]

And now my last instalment of photos from my tour of the SS Moyie at Kaslo, BC, on 7 October 2014.  Tonight I am presenting the public areas of the main passenger deck, including the observation lounges & dining salon.  I was unable to locate the 'Sea West' lounge...

Once again, I can't say enough about how well this restoration has been done.  It is as good, maybe better, that what I saw in Whitehorse, Yukon, when I toured the Klondike II.  I strongly urge everyone with an interest in our maritime history to go to Kaslo, and spend at least several hours at this national historic site.  There is also lots to see & do in this part of BC's Kootenay country.
SS Moyie National Historic Site of Canada

First, the bar, which would have been a lonely place during the prohibition era...
Next, two photos of the pantry, in which they kept what was needed to serve hungry diners in the 'Dining Salon'.  I believe that they had a dumb waiter to bring hot food items up from the kitchen below.  The food items on display in the second photo may look tempting but probably don't taste too good...



A 'nook' aft of the forward observation lounge used for a card table & luggage rack


And now the three main public spaces starting from the forward end & moving back. 
First, the 'men's smoking observation lounge', where 21st century women think that they can venture.  (Thanks to my better half, Elizabeth, for posing.)


Now, the 'Dining Salon', located mid-ship.


Now the 'ladies observation lounge'.  This view is toward the stern.  You can make out the large cover over the paddle wheel through the windows at the far end.  Note the soft plush seats for the ladies...


Lastly, another look at the ladies' lounge, this time from the aft end looking forward.  There's steam heat there...

All photos © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr

That's all, folks!

[Low Light Mike]

Lovely set of the Moyie. Thanks for taking the time to post these. What a marvelous interior to enjoy.

And now for a comparison of forward lounges between Moyie and Sicamous:

Nov 9, 2014 21:12:04 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

First, the 'men's smoking observation lounge', where 21st century women think that they can venture.  (Thanks to my better half, Elizabeth, for posing.)

Sept 3, 2012 15:41:22 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

On board mostly-inside views of the SS Sicamous.
- at Penticton on July 18, 2012.
The men's smoking room on the Saloon deck

[WettCoast]

I suspect that the Sicamous was once grander then the Moyie is now.  A huge amount of money, effort & time has gone into restoring the Moyie to what she & her sisters on the lakes of southern BC once were.  It would be nice to see the Sicamous fully restored, too.

Its also worth mentioning again that some of our interior maritime heritage vessels have been kept around many years after the end of their useful service lives, for us to enjoy.  We certainly can not say the same for our coastal maritime heritage.

[Starsteward]

Nov 9, 2014 21:40:11 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

I suspect that the Sicamous was once grander then the Moyie is now.  A huge amount of money, effort & time has gone into restoring the Moyie to what she & her sisters on the lakes of southern BC once were.  It would be nice to see the Sicamous fully restored, too.

Its also worth mentioning again that some of our interior maritime heritage vessels have been kept around many years after the end of their useful service lives, for us to enjoy.  We certainly can not say the same for our coastal maritime heritage.

    Thanks for posting these absolutely fabulous pictures of the Moyie!!
    The perfection to which this restoration was done shows through in every one of your pictures to the extent that with not much imagination, one feels like they could 
    walk right into the picture and in a time warp feel like the next move would be to hear the whistle blow and the ship move away from the shore.

    I have traveled in that area of B.C. but have never stopped at that National Historic Site, shame on me. Must put that stop back on the 'to-do' list.

    Yes, there is a stark contrast between the Sicamous and the Moyie, however maybe there are some Federal funds kicking about for the establishment of a similar
    inland maritime historic site? 

    Your pictures of the Yukon lake and river Stern Wheelers was very well done too. We are so rich in history in the province and yet so many folks haven't taken the
    time to travel and enjoy them. 

    I'm tempted to 'bite' on your comment re: our coastal maritime heritage, however for the moment I'm going to go back and sink back into history and take a trip 
    on the SS Moyie.
  

[WettCoast]

That most excellent BC maritime & railway historian Robert D. Turner has a new book out.  The topic this time: Steam on the Yukon River & the Klondike gold rush.

Klondike Gold Rush Steamers

A History of Yukon River Steam Navigation
by Robert D. Turner

The great Klondike Gold Rush began in 1896 and within two years, thousands of prospectors, speculators and people from countless walks of like descended on the Klondike from far and wide, seeking their fortunes.

For the Klondike Gold Rush, sternwheeled steamboats were essential. Some miners came by steamer all the way up the Yukon River through Alaska from the Bering Sea at St. Michael. Others climbed the famed Chilkoot Pass or White Pass to the headwaters of the Yukon, and took a steamer downstream to the Klondike. From Dawson City and the Klondike in the Yukon, then on to Nome and Fairbanks in Alaska, the gold rushes to the Yukon and Alaska came and almost as quickly faded away.

Skilled officers and crews made these robust frontier boats the lifeblood of the Klondike and Alaskan gold rushes. Over 250 steamboats ran on the Yukon River and its tributaries. After the rushes most were part of the fleets of the White Pass & Yukon Route or the Alaska Railroad and they carried hundreds of tourists and many tons of wartime supplies. The last ones were retired in the mid-1950s. Many were wrecked; others were simply abandoned and left to rot away. Just the Klondike, Keno and Nenana have been preserved as reminders of those exciting and legendary times.

This book tells the dramatic story of these amazing steamboats, the people who built and ran them and the services they gave to a vast, lonely, sometimes frenzied and always challenging frontier. Decades in the making, based on countless hours of field and archival research and packed with over 600 outstanding photographs, this book presents the fascinating history of the Yukon River's steamers from the pioneer days of the fur trade to the 1950s.

ISBN 978-1-55039-242-5 • 352 pp • hardcover • 600+ photographs • $49.95

www.sononis.com/our-books?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=172&category_id=7

[Neil]

I did a post about this book a couple of months ago in the books thread... when I bought it from Black Bond, in Ladner.

A good addition to the maritime history buffs' collection, but it is somewhat specialized; might be more information than most people need on a particular aspect of navigation... a library rental might suit most folks. All credit to Mr Turner though; another very thoroughly researched work.

[WettCoast]

SS Moyie - preserved on the beach @ Kaslo, Kootenay Lake, BC.  She was once part of Canadian Pacific's BC Lake & River Service fleet, for many years the only boat serving on Kootenay Lake.  I took this photo on 8 May 1973.  It was the first time I saw this bit of BC history.  I was then 19 years old and tree planting for the spring & summer with the BC Forest Service.


© WCK-JST - Fujichrome 73-04-10] by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

[WettCoast]

Another simply exceptional photo from Bob Bittner of Revelstoke, this time of the Moyie at sunrise.



Larger size for your viewing pleasure:
c2.staticflickr.com/8/7474/28417914355_79f50b0d61_h.jpg

[WettCoast]

I first put this photo up about ten years ago, but it has been lost due to the mess up with photo(crap)bucket.  So here goes again, this time hosted on Flickr ...

MV Tarahne, British Yukon Navigation Company, Atlin Lake shoreline, Atlin, BC - 1 July 2008.  BYNC was a division of White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Company.
www.atlinhistoricalsociety.com/mv-tarahne.html

© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

[Starsteward]

Thanks for reposting the vividly scenic photo of the 'SS Tarahne', but depending on 'which way you look at it', the photo poses at least 3 visual/operational
questions.
So, for today's skull-buster exercise, perhaps our fellow members could identify some or all of the questions/issues to which I have alluded?
Here's a clue; take a peek at the exterior pictures of the 'SS Moyie'.

[northwesterner]

May 10, 2018 21:24:39 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

I first put this photo up about ten years ago, but it has been lost due to the mess up with photo(crap)bucket.  So here goes again, this time hosted on Flickr ...

MV Tarahne, British Yukon Navigation Company, Atlin Lake shoreline, Atlin, BC - 1 July 2008.  BYNC was a division of White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Company.
www.atlinhistoricalsociety.com/mv-tarahne.html

The one summer I spent in Skagway, my coworkers would talk about taking a drive to Atlin. I never did; looking at this photo, I sure regret that decision.

The woman who was my commercial driver's license instructor was Skagway based - she now has a daughter named Atlin.

[WettCoast]

May 11, 2018 17:25:29 GMT -8 northwesterner said:

May 10, 2018 21:24:39 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

The one summer I spent in Skagway, my coworkers would talk about taking a drive to Atlin. I never did; looking at this photo, I sure regret that decision.

The very little town of Atlin is located on Atlin Lake in the north western corner of BC, just south of Whitehorse, Yukon. The lake is BC's largest natural lake. Some say that the area is MORE beautiful than anywhere else in BC, & I am not inclined to disagree.

Atlin Lake pano from Atlin Village shoreline - 1 July 2008

© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

A note for Starsteward ...
I may have led you (& me also) astray when I labelled the 'old girl' as the SS Tarahne.  It was in fact the M/V Tarahne which accounts for some things about the vessel that seem to be missing ...

[WettCoast]

Klondike Spirit heading against the current on the Yukon River near Dawson City, Yukon
12 July 2018

Well this isn't a 'stern Wheeler', there is no 'external combustion engine' and its side wheels may not be its main means of propulsion.  Its definitely not 'historical' ... 
But it does take us back to the days of steam & paddle wheels on the Yukon, and where else to put it

© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

[WettCoast]

British Yukon Navigation Company's SS Keno, high & dry & preserved by Parks Canada @ Dawson City, Yukon
13 July 2018

© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

[Starsteward]

Jul 31, 2018 21:50:36 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

British Yukon Navigation Company's SS Keno, high & dry & preserved by Parks Canada @ Dawson City, Yukon
13 July 2018

© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr

    Wonderful shot of the 'Keno', now all we need to do is find her some 'period-related' lifeboats.

[WettCoast]

Update on the venerable SS Moyie, on Kootenay Lake at Kaslo, BC.  She is having a major refit at the present time.  At the age of 124 I guess she can use it ...

www.klhs.bc.ca/

Major restorative 'refit' underway for the Moyie at Kaslo, BC - 11 September 2022
© WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr