MV ''Hiawatha'' is a passenger ferry built in 1895 for the

Royal Canadian Yacht Club The Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) is a private yacht club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1852, it is one of the world's older and larger yacht clubs. Its summer home is on a trio of islands (RCYC Island, South Island and North Chip ...

, 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 anch ...

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 C ...

, Canada. The boat is long, wide, has a depth of , and measures 46 gross tons. Her capacity is 100 passengers. ''Hiawatha'' was built by the Bertram Engine Works near Queen's Wharf in Toronto harbour and named for

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

, a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

leader and co-founder of the Iroquois confederacy. It is claimed to be the oldest passenger vessel still in active service on the North American

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. ''Hiawatha'' has served as a ferry for the yacht club since 1895. The boat was converted from a steam engine to a gasoline engine in 1944. The ship was refurbished in 1983. On July 26, 2000, both ''Hiawatha'' and the yacht club's slightly newer ferry, '' Kwasind'', were sunk by vandals. ''Kwasind'' was refloated and was back in working order the day of the sinking, while ''Hiawatha'' required further repair.

References

External links

''Hiawatha''s historical plaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiawatha Ferries of Ontario 1895 ships Ships built in Ontario