The Polson Iron Works was an

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

-based firm which built large steam engines, as well as ships, barges and dredges. Founded by

William Polson Sir William John Polson (6 June 1875 – 8 October 1960) was a New Zealand politician, first as an Independent and then in the National Party. He joined the National Party on its formation in 1936, and "later acted effectively as Holland's de ...

(1834–1901) and son Franklin Bates Polson, the firm was incorporated in 1886 and it was one of the original shipyards operating in Toronto. In 1888 favourable land grants prompted the company to move to

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

, which was then an important port for

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

's steamships. Owen Sound facility was at the then existing dry docks on the west side of the harbour near the south end of what is now the West Side Boat Launch on 14th Avenue West. The firm eventually returned to Toronto in 1897 when Owen Sound's town council did not renew the firm's exemption from property taxes. In Toronto the company's ship yard was located on the harbourfront at the foot of Sherbourne Street (south west at The Esplanade where David Crombie Park and hydro substation now occupies). In 1914 the company agreed to lease land from the Toronto Harbour Commission to build a new facility in the newly reclaimed Portlands industrial district, but the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

prevented the move. Some of the vessels constructed by the Polson Iron Works remain in service today. They include , and . The engines and hull of ''Bonnington'', a steamboat that ran on the

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beac ...

from 1911 to 1931, were built at the Polson Iron Works, and shipped by rail to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. The company ceased operations around 1919, but the name lives on in

Polson Pier Polson Pier, previously known as The Docks Waterfront Entertainment Complex (or simply The Docks), is a multi-purpose entertainment complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the largely industrial Port Lands area of the city along the ...

, where the company had intended to relocate the shipyard.

Ships built

Polson was a builder of

motor yachts A yacht () is a sail- or motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , ...

for the wealthy in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships built before 1888 and after 1897 would have been built in Toronto with the rest at their Owen Sound shipyard. List of ships built:

Motor yachts

* ''Mockingbird'' (1886) * ''Vivid'' (1886) * ''Rescue'' (1886) * ''Electric'' (1887) * ''Gypsy'' (1887) * ''Siesta'' (1889) * ''Undine'' (1889) * ''Naiad'' (1890) * ''Siesta'' (1892) * ''Undine'' (1892) * ''Mizpah'' (1892) * ''Annie C. Hill'' (1898) * ''Wanda'' (1898) * ''Bobs'' (1900) * ''Llaus'' (1900) * ''Islander'' (1900) * ''Llano'' (1900) * ''Ina'' (1901) * ''Kate'' (1902) * ''Espanola'' (1902) * ''Linnea'' (1903) * ''Mildred'' (1903) * ''Rambler'' (1903) * ''Temagami'' (1905) * ''Wanda II'' (1905) * ''Wawinet'' (1904) * ''Keego'' (1909) * ''Sir Wilfrid'' (1902) * ''Morning Star'' (1907) * ''Roberval'' (1907) * ''Bessie Butler'' (1907) * ''P.W.D. No. 117'' (1909) * ''Kwasind'' (1912) * ''Wanda III'' (1915)

Tugs

* ''Conqueror'' (1886) * ''Pikouagami'' (1906) * ''Loretta'' (1908) * ''G.R. Geary'' (1912) * ''Batchawanna'' (1912)

Ferries

* ''City of Chatham'' (1888) * ''Mizpah'' (1889) * ''Majestic'' (1899) * ''Algoma'' (1901) * ''Charles Lyon'' (1908) * ''Kuskanook''

Passenger vessels

* ''Manitoba'' (1889)

Train ferries

* ''Ontario'' (1890, for

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...

) * ''Ontario #2'' (1915)

Patrol boats

* (1891) * (1892) * (1892) * (1903)

Others

* Knapp roller boat (1897) * Barge ''Inenew'' (1902) * Lightship ''Lurcher'' (1903) * Lightship ''Anticosti'' (1904) * ''Hercules'' (1906) * Barge ''Navarch'' (1906) * ''Keego'' (1909) * Clinker ''Shuniah'' (1910) * Fireboat (1911) * Drill Scow ''MNCO No 6'' (1912) * Clinker ''Port Nelson'' (1913) * Dredge ''City Dredge No 2'' (1914) * ''Cyclone'' (1914) *

Buoy tender A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. This term can also apply to an actual person who does this work. The United States Coast Guard uses buoy tenders to accomplish one of its primary missions of main ...

''Grenville'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 1'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 2'' (1914) * Terminals Lighter ''Hudson Bay No. 3'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 51'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 52'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 53'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 54'' (1914) * ''Q.H.C. No 55'' (1914) * ''Seventy Five'' (1915) * ''Tornado'' (1915)

Naval vessels

* (1917)

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

* (1917)

Cargo vessels

* ''Tento'' (1918) * ''Asp'' (1918) * ''War Hydra'' (1919) * ''War Taurus'' (1919) * ''War Tamiskaming'' (1919) * ''Aquila / War Hamilton'' (1919) * ''War Algoma'' (1919) * ''War Halton'' (1919)

Aircraft

In 1916 Polson Iron Works was involved in the production of the M.F.P Tractor Biplane for MFP Company owned by J.B. Miller, Walter L. Fairchild and Walter H. Phipps. The plane was designed by Walter H. Phipps, owner of

Steel Constructed Aeroplanes Co Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the m ...

of New York. Fairchild was a monoplane pioneer from

Hempstead Plains, New York The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island, in what is now Nassau County, in New York State. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island ...

References

{{reflist 1886 establishments in Ontario 1919 disestablishments in Ontario Manufacturing companies based in Toronto Owen Sound Shipbuilding companies of Canada History of manufacturing in Ontario Canadian companies established in 1886