This year, 2023, is a time of celebration at the SS Moyie National Historic Site, in Kaslo. The sternwheeler Moyie was originally intended to work on the Stikine River on an “All Canadian Route to the Klondike” when the Klondike Gold Rush was at its peak in 1898. Plans did not work out as hoped, however. Instead, Moyie’s steel frames, boiler, and engines, which had been fabricated in Ontario by the Bertram Engine Works, were diverted for assembly to the Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CPR) Nelson shipyard, where the steamer was put in service on Kootenay Lake rather than in the North. The original hull was extended by 20 feet [6.1 m], making it a total of 161.7 feet [49.29 m] in length, plus the 19-foot, 4-inch [5.9-m] diameter paddlewheel. The hull breadth was 30.1 feet [9.17 m].
The wooden superstructure (made largely of western red-cedar and Douglas-fir) was built by skilled shipwrights at the CPR shipyard by master builder James Bulger and crew, under the watchful eye of Capt. James W. Troup, superintendent of the CPR’s Columbia & Kootenay Steamers. The wooden planks were cut, shaped, and steamed to fit the complex curves of the steel frames, giving a composite hull. As well, the original plans for the passenger accommodations were modified to suit the service needs for the Kootenays, most noticeably the provision of a large dining room. In addition to serving local passengers, the CPR planned for to provide dining services for passengers travelling on the new Crowsnest Pass Railway route because, initially, the trains did
