The Polson Iron Works was an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

-based firm which built large steam engines, as well as ships, barges and dredges. Founded by

William Polson Sir William John Polson (6 June 1875 – 8 October 1960) was a New Zealand politician, first as an Independent and then in the National Party. He joined the National Party on its formation in 1936, and "later acted effectively as Holland's d ...

(1834–1901) and son Franklin Bates Polson, the firm was incorporated in 1886 and it was one of the original shipyards operating in Toronto. In 1888 favourable land grants prompted the company to move to

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attract ...

, which was then an important port for

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

's steamships. The firm eventually returned to Toronto in 1897 when Owen Sound's town council did not renew the firm's exemption from property taxes. In Toronto the company's ship yard was located on the harbourfront at the foot of Sherbourne Street. In 1914 the company agreed to lease land from the Toronto Harbour Commission to build a new facility in the newly reclaimed Portlands industrial district, but the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

prevented the move. Some of the vessels constructed by the Polson Iron Works remain in service today. They include , and . The engines and hull of ''Bonnington'', a steamboat that ran on the

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Bea ...

from 1911 to 1931, were built at the Polson Iron Works, and shipped by rail to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The company ceased operations around 1919, but the name lives on in

Polson Pier Polson Pier, previously known as The Docks Waterfront Entertainment Complex (or simply The Docks), is a multi-purpose entertainment complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the largely industrial Port Lands area of the city along the w ...

, where the company had intended to relocate the shipyard.

Ships built

Polson was a builder of

motor yachts A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

for the wealthy in

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 ...

during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. List of ships built:

Motor yachts

* ''Mockingbird'' (1886) * ''Vivid'' (1886) * ''Rescue'' (1886) * ''Electric'' (1887) * ''Gypsy'' (1887) * ''Siesta'' (1889) * ''Undine'' (1889) * ''Naiad'' (1890) * ''Siesta'' (1892) * ''Undine'' (1892) * ''Mizpah'' (1892) * ''Annie C. Hill'' (1898) * ''Wanda'' (1898) * ''Bobs'' (1900) * ''Llaus'' (1900) * ''Islander'' (1900) * ''Llano'' (1900) * ''Ina'' (1901) * ''Kate'' (1902) * ''Espanola'' (1902) * ''Linnea'' (1903) * ''Mildred'' (1903) * ''Rambler'' (1903) * ''Temagami'' (1905) * ''Wanda II'' (1905) * ''Wawinet'' (1904) * ''Keego'' (1909) * ''Sir Wilfrid'' (1902) * ''Morning Star'' (1907) * ''Roberval'' (1907) * ''Bessie Butler'' (1907) * ''P.W.D. No. 117'' (1909) * ''Kwasind'' (1912) * ''Wanda III'' (1915)

Tugs

* ''Conqueror'' (1886) * ''Pikouagami'' (1906) * ''Loretta'' (1908) * ''G.R. Geary'' (1912) * ''Batchawanna'' (1912)

Ferries

* ''City of Chatham'' (1888) * ''Mizpah'' (1889) * ''Majestic'' (1899) * ''Algoma'' (1901) * ''Charles Lyon'' (1908) * ''Kuskanook''

Passenger vessels

* ''Manitoba'' (1889)

Train ferries

* ''Ontario'' (1890, for

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore sponta ...

) * ''Ontario #2'' (1915)

Patrol boats

* (1891) * (1892) * (1892) * (1903)

Others

* Knapp roller boat (1897) * Barge ''Inenew'' (1902) * Lightship ''Lurcher'' (1903) * Lightship ''Anticosti'' (1904) * ''Hercules'' (1906) * Barge ''Navarch'' (1906) * ''Keego'' (1909) * Clinker ''Shuniah'' (1910) * Fireboat (1911) * Drill Scow ''MNCO No 6'' (1912) * Clinker ''Port Nelson'' (1913) * Dredge ''City Dredge No 2'' (1914) * ''Cyclone'' (1914) *

Buoy tender A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. This term can also apply to an actual person who does this work. The United States Coast Guard uses buoy tenders to accomplish one of its primary missions of main ...

''Grenville'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 1'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 2'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 3'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 51'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 52'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 53'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 54'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 55'' (1914) * ''Seventy Five'' (1915) * ''Tornado'' (1915)

Naval vessels

* (1917)

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

* (1917)

Cargo vessels

* ''Tento'' (1918) * ''Asp'' (1918) * ''War Hydra'' (1919) * ''War Taurus'' (1919) * ''War Tamiskaming'' (1919) * ''Aquila / War Hamilton'' (1919) * ''War Algoma'' (1919) * ''War Halton'' (1919)

Aircraft

In 1916 Polson Iron Works was involved in the production of the M.F.P Tractor Biplane for MFP Company owned by J.B. Miller, Walter L. Fairchild and Walter H. Phipps. The plane was designed by Walter H. Phipps, owner of Steel Constructed Aeroplanes Co of New York. Fairchild was a monoplane pioneer from Hempstead Plains, New York.

References

{{reflist 1886 establishments in Ontario 1919 disestablishments Manufacturing companies based in Toronto Owen Sound Shipbuilding companies of Canada History of manufacturing in Ontario Canadian companies established in 1886