''J.D. Farrell'' was a sternwheel steamer that operated on the
Kootenay River in western
Montana and southeastern
British Columbia from 1898 to 1902.
Design and construction
''J.D. Farrell'' was designed and built by Captain M. L. McCormack, who had captained steamboats on the
Mississippi,
St. Croix and
Red rivers. He formed the
Kootenay River Navigation Company
Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to:
Ethnic groups
*The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada
**Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai
**Ktunaxa ...
to build and operate the vessel, which he named after J. D. Farrell, a wealthy mining investor from
Spokane, Washington. ''Farrell'' was equipped with electric lights and bathrooms, then considered innovations in river transport in the region. In contrast to some of the other vessels built in the region, she was competently designed and constructed by skilled shipbuilders brought out from
Stillwater, Minnesota.
[Newell, Gordon R., ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', at 22, 39, 42, 67, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966]
Operations
''J.D. Farrell'' was launched in November 1897 at
Jennings, Montana.
[ At that time the only competitor on this route was the Upper Columbia Navigation & Tramway Company, under Captain ]Frank P. Armstrong
Francis Patrick Armstrong (circa 1859–1923) was a steamboat captain in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. He also operated steamboats on the Kootenay River in Montana and on the Stikine River in western British Columbia. Steam navi ...
. The construction of ''Farrell'' prompted Armstrong to hire veteran shipwright Louis Pacquet from Portland, Oregon to build a comparable vessel, the sternwheeler ''North Star''.[
Captain M. L. McCormack commanded ''Farrell'' on the vessel's first trip up the Kootenay River to Fort Steele in British Columbia. ''Farrell'' worked on the route from Jennings to Fort Steele during 1898. Armstrong and McCormack combined their efforts on the upper Kootenay, with Armstrong's ''North Star'' and ''Gwendoline'' receiving 60% of the freight receipts, with the balance to McCormack's ''Farrell''. James D. Miller (1830–1914), one of the Northwest's most experienced steamboat captains, commanded ''Farrell'' during this time.][
On June 4, 1898, with McCormack in command on the seventh trip, ''Farrell'' was wrecked in Jennings Canyon when hurricane-force winds blew the vessel off course into a rock.][Marshall, Don, ''Oregon Shipwrecks'', at 297, Binford and Mort, Portland, OR 1984 ] She sank with only her bow and capstan showing above the water.[Downs, Art, ''Paddlewheels on the Frontier – The Story of British Columbia and Yukon Sternwheel Steamers'', at 108-09, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA 1972] While ''Farrell'' was raised and repaired, business declined sharply on the route as traffic shifted to newly completed railways, causing ''Farrell'' to be laid up at Jennings from 1899 to 1901. In 1901 A. Guthrie & Co. bought ''Farrell'' for $6,000 to use in construction of the Great Northern Railway to Fernie, British Columbia. In the fall of 1901, the railway construction was complete, and ''Farrell'' was laid up again.[
]
Fate
In 1903 ''Farrell'' was dismantled. The machinery, fittings and much of the upper works were taken by train to Newport, Washington to become part of the sternwheeler ''Spokane''.[
]
Notes
Further reading
* Faber, Jim, ''Steamer's Wake—Voyaging down the old marine highways of Puget Sound, British Columbia, and the Columbia River'', Enetai Press, Seattle, WA 1985
* Timmen, Fritz, ''Blow for the Landing'', 75–78, 134, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID 1972
External links
Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History
Fort Steele Heritage Town
{{DEFAULTSORT:J.D. Farrell (Sternwheeler)
Steamboats of the Kootenay River
Paddle steamers of British Columbia
Regional District of East Kootenay
1897 ships
Transportation in Lincoln County, Montana