Moyie Sternwheeler

Story

The Moyie is a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada from 1898 until 1957.After her nearly sixty years of service, she was sold to the town of Kaslo and restored. Today she is a National Historic Site of Canada and the world's oldest intact passenger sternwheeler.HistoryThe Moyie was built in prefabricated sections in Toronto, Ontario and was originally intended for service on the Stikine River as part of an "all Canadian" water and rail route to the goldfields during the Klondike Gold Rush. However, when the project failed for the lack of a railway, the Moyie and her sister ship, the Minto were put into service on Arrow Lakes and Kootenay Lake in the Kootenays of southern British Columbia.She was launched and christened at Nelson on October 22, 1898 and embarked on her maiden voyage on December 7, connecting with a new line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which ran from Lethbridge, Alberta and through the Crowsnest Pass to Nelson. The Moyie soon became a favourite with passengers, featuring a large and elegantly appointed dining saloon, a luxurious smoking lounge, private ladies' saloon and comfortable overnight cabins, all richly decorated in gold leaf.