''Annie Craig'' was a wooden

screw steamer A screw steamer or screw steamship is an old term for a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine, using one or more propellers (also known as ''screws'') to propel it through the water. Such a ship was also known as an "iron screw steam shi ...

registered in

Port Dover Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the site of the recurring Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. Prior to the War of 1812, this community w ...

in 1880. With a net tonnage of 40 tons, she was able to carry about 300 passengers. She was lost on 3 August, 1885 due to fire while docked in Toronto. The boilers of the ''Annie Craig'' were salvaged.

Career in Lake Erie

For three seasons she operated on Lake Erie from Port Dover. On 30 Sept 1880 she carried the Governor General and suite to the Long Point Company's shooting grounds. American middleweight boxers were planning an illegal match at Long Point, ON. The ''Annie Craig'' transported Norfolk Sheriff Deedes and other forces to Long Point. They were successful in persuading the Americans to return to Erie and Buffalo.

Humber Steam Ferry

The ''Annie Craig'' was purchased in 1882 by the Humber Steam Ferry Co. Three hotel owners (John Duck,

Octavius Hicks Octavius Laing Hicks (27 January 1852 – 23 December 1930) was a prominent citizen of Humber Bay in Etobicoke Township. He was born in Dundee, Scotland. He settled in Humber Bay in 1873 and remained there for the rest of his life. He is best known ...

and Charles Nurse) plus a brewer

Eugene O'Keefe Eugene O'Keefe (10 December 1827 – 1 October 1913), baptized as Owen Keeffe, was an Irish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist, well-known in the brewing industry for his signature brews. He incorporated the O'Keefe Brewery Company ...

were the owners of the ferry company. The hotels were located in

Etobicoke Township Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamation of Toronto, amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 17 ...

at the mouth of the Humber River. Access from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

was difficult as the streetcar lines did not extend that far west. Initially passengers were carried from a wharf near

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...

to John Duck's dock with an intermediate stop at the foot of Bathurst St. The 1885 route had intermediate stops at the Exhibition Grounds and

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

. "Captain Fred. Twitchell was charged with desecrating the Sabbath by running his boat, the ''Annie Craig''." Twitchell was discharged when the complainant failed to appear. On 11 October Twitchell made his final appearance on a charge of Sabbath violation and was fined $1. The Twitchell case did not deter operations of the ferry company. The loss of the ''Annie Craig'' in 1885 eventually led to the shutdown of the ferry company in July 1886. In 1886, Doty Bros operated the "palace steamers" Queen City and Canadian to High Park and Humber. "The steamer Canadian, which ran on the Humber route last season, has been sold to Mr Robert Davies, who will fit her out to run to Victoria Park and vicinity." Davies also chartered the Gertrude and operated for ships to Victoria Park and Humber for summer 1887. Steamer service to the Humber then ended. The only public transport available was the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...

until the

Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company was incorporated in 1890, and operated the Mimico radial line in the Toronto area. The line started operation in 1892 as a short suburban line that later was extended to Port Credit. In 190 ...

began service from Sunnyside to the Humber in 1892.

Modern relevance

A short street in the Humber Bay Shores neighbourhood of Toronto has been named Annie Craig Drive.

References

{{Reflist Steamships of Ontario