The steamboat ''Fleetwood'' operated in the 1880s and 1890s on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

and later as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.

Construction

''Fleetwood'' was built in 1881, at

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, for Captain U.B. Scott and his associates L.B. Seeley and E.W. Creighton. ''Fleetwood'' was propeller-driven, 111' long, and rated at 135 tons.

Operations on Columbia River

Capt. Scott successfully ran ''Fleetwood'' on the Astoria and Cascade routes on the

, in opposition to the would-be monopoly of the

Oregon Railway and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a railroad that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a ...

, then under the control of

Henry Villard Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway. Born and raised by Ferdinand Heinrich Gustav Hilgard in the Rhenish Palatinate of the Kin ...

. ''Fleetwood'' outran the monopoly's steamers by two hours on the Astoria run, and built up so much business that Captain Scott had to replace her with the crack sternwheeler ''Telephone.'' Captain Scott trimmed up ''Fleetwood'' ‘s appearance a bit, not entirely to the liking of historian Newell: Other masters of ''Fleetwood'' on the Columbia River included Capt. William H. Whitcomb, a member of a prominent Northwest marine family, and, on Puget Sound, Capt. Henry Carter.

Transfer to Puget Sound

In 1888, Capt. U.B. Scott sold ''Fleetwood'' to Capt. Z.J. Hatch, who transferred the vessel to Puget Sound. ''Fleetwood'' was brought around to Puget Sound by Captain Messegee for her new owner Capt. Hatch. On the way up, Captain Scott’s fancy trim work on the deckhouse caught fire, but the crew were able to extinguish it and ''Fleetwood'' rounded

Cape Flattery Cape Flattery () is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, and ...

and reached

Neah Bay Neah Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Makah Reservation in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 865 at the 2010 census. It is across the Canada–US border from British Columbia. Originally called "Scarborou ...

just 24 hours after leaving the

Columbia Bar The Columbia Bar, also frequently called the Graveyard of the Pacific, is a system of bar (landform), bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It is known as one of th ...

. Once on Puget Sound ''Fleetwood'' ran against another boat transferred up from the Columbia River, ''Emma Haywood''. ''Fleetwood'' was advertised as a "fast time" steamer, leaving Horr's Wharf at Olympia at 6:00 a.m., stopping at Puget City, Steilacoom, and the Northern Pacific Railway wharf at Tacoma, and reaching Seattle's Yesler wharf at noon, then returning on the same route, arriving back in Olympia at 7:00 p.m. In 1889, ''Fleetwood'' made record time on a trip from Olympia to Seattle to carry a steam fire engine to the aid of that city during its great fire.McCurdy, at 43 When Captain Scott expanded operations up to Puget Sound, he bought back ''Fleetwood'' and put her on the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

- Tacoma run with the new and eventually much more famous propeller steamer ''Flyer''. On September 7, 1890, ''Fleetwood'' engaged unsuccessfully in an impromptu race between Tacoma and Seattle with the then brand-new and very fast sternwheeler ''Greyhound''.

Abandonment

In 1898 ''Fleetwood'' was abandoned on the beach in

Quartermaster Harbor Quartermaster Harbor is a small harbor located in southern Puget Sound, in Vashon Island, Washington state. Geographic description Quartermaster Harbor is formed by Vashon Island on the west and Maury Island on the east. It opens about east of ...

where for many years she was visible as she slowly rotted away.Newell, Gordon R., and Williamson, Joe, ''Pacific Steamboats'', at 197 (showing photographs of ''Fleetwood'' in operation and as she gradually decayed on the beach)

Notes

References

Gibbs, Jim and Williamson, Joe, ''Maritime Memories of Puget Sound'', at 129, Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, PA 1987 (publishing photo showing both ''Fleetwood'' abandoned on beach and her location relative to the floating drydock at

External links

Historic images from University of Washington on-line collections

steamer ''Fleetwood'' in operation, apparently on Puget Sound''Fleetwood'' in operation, apparently circa 1895 near Seattleonce speedy steamer ''Fleetwood'', abandoned and rotting on beach at Dockton, 1908
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleetwood (Steamboat) Steamboats of Washington (state) Propeller-driven steamboats of Washington (state) Steamboats of the Columbia River Steamboats of Oregon 1881 ships