Steamboats operated on
Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuary, estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington (U.S. state), Washington state, in the United States of America. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the l ...
, a large coastal bay in the State of Washington, and on the
Chehalis Chehalis may refer to:
People
* Chehalis people, a Native American people of Washington state
**Lower Chehalis language
**Upper Chehalis language
* Sts'Ailes people (Chehalis people), a First Nation in British Columbia
* Chehalis First Nation, Bri ...
and
Hoquiam
Hoquiam ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting, but Hoquiam has mainta ...
rivers which flow into Grays Harbor near
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, a town on the eastern shore of the bay.
Establishment of operations
The first riverine steamboat to operate in the Grays Harbor area was the
''Enterprise'', originally built in 1855 above Willamette Falls, at Canemah (now a part of ''Oregon City''). ''Enterprise'' served on the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
until 1858, when she was sent to the
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...
in British Columbia where gold had been discovered. The
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...
was short-lived but lucrative for steamboat operators (''Enterprise'' once made $25,000 in a single day), and when it ended, ''Enterprise'' was brought to Grays Harbor, where she was wrecked in 1862 on the
Chehalis River.
In 1887, Henry H. McDonald, originally from
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, arrived in the area and entered the steamboat business. Steamboats owned by Captain McDonald included the tug ''Pilot'' and the sternwheeler ''Clan McDonald''. Another sternwheeler operating in these waters was the ''T.C. Reed''.
In about 1891, ''
Dove
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
'' served briefly on Grays harbor under George Emerson before being sold to Puget Sound interests.
[Newell, Gordon R., ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', at 91, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966]
Photo gallery
File:Harbor Belle (sternwheeler) ca 1902 (from stern).JPG, ''Harbor Belle'', sternwheeler, c. 1902.
File:Harbor Belle (sternwheeler) ca 1902.JPG, Another view of ''Harbor Belle''
File:Cruiser (Grays Harbor steamboat 1900).JPG, ''Cruiser'', Grays Harbor propeller steamer, c. 1900.
File:Harbor Queen (Grays Harbor sternwheeler) ca 1900.JPG, ''Harbor Queen'', c. 1900.
File:Skookum (sternwheeler) ca 1907.JPG, ''Skookum'', sternwheeler c. 1907.
File:Passengers on steamer Skookum 1911.JPG, Excursion of sawmill and logging convention attendees on ''Skookum'', 1911.
See also
*
Steamboats of Willapa Bay Willapa Bay is a large shallow body of water near the Pacific Ocean in southwestern Washington. For a number of years before modern roads were built in Pacific County, Washington, the bay was used as the means of travel around the county, by powere ...
References
External links
Photographs
''Clan McDonald'' on Hoquiam River''T.C. Reed'' at Aberdeen on Hoquiam Riverunidentified steamer and barge near Aberdeensmall propeller steamer ''Chehalis''steamer ''Cruiser'' at the landing at the foot of F Street, in Aberdeen Washington, 1888''General Miles'', circa 1900''Wishkah Chief'', 1890
{{Steamboats Pacific Northwest, state = collapsed
Steamboats of Washington (state)