''Wenonah II'' is a modern excursion vessel constructed to offer passengers the look and feel of the early 20th century steamships. She is homeported in Gravenhurst,

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 ...

, and is operated by

Muskoka Steamships Muskoka may refer to: Canada Geographical * Lake Muskoka, lake located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada * Muskoka River, a river in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada Municipalities * District Municipality of Muskoka, a r ...

, which also operates RMS ''Segwun''. ''Segwun'' is the last surviving original

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

from the fleet of several dozen that served the county of

Muskoka, Ontario The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a road network was built the steamships became less useful and were either broken up, or not replaced when they were lost. The final two ships, ''Segwun'' and were retired in 1958. ''Sagamo'' was destroyed by a fire in 1969. In 1972, volunteers started to restore ''Segwun''. In 1981 she started to carry sightseers on the lakes, and to host dinner cruises. She is the oldest steamship in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Her cruises were so popular that ''Segwun''s operators decided to construct a modern replica, inspired by the original vessels, named ''Wenonah II'', to supplement the historic ''Segwun''. The modern replica was completed in 2002 and while she has the appearance of an early twentieth century steamship, she has modern conveniences, like air conditioning, and an elevator. She is larger than ''Segwun'', and also carries sightseers and dinner cruises. The first passenger to board the inaugural voyage of the Wenonah II was 9 year old Mark Timpson. Mark had followed the ship’s construction with great interest. He and his father lined up for several hours, so that Mark could board first. Mark was featured in the local newspaper as ‘First Passenger’ and was again featured for 10th and 20th anniversary cruises.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wenonah Ii 2002 ships Steamships of Ontario Transport in the District Municipality of Muskoka