''St. Charles'' was a small, screw-driven

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

that serviced the upper

Peace River The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...

, from 1903 to 1914. She was built from local timber for Brothers of the

Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation was ...

, using engines and other fittings brought from

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

. She was the first steamboat on the upper Peace River. She was sold in 1911 to Ford and Lawrence. According to Edward L. Affleck, ''St. Charles'' was one of a "fleet of pint-sized vessels" the Order operated, so they would not have to rely on the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

's monopoly on river shipping. The Peace River has two long navigable sections, from the mouth on

Lake Athabasca Lake Athabasca ( ; French: ''lac Athabasca''; from Woods Cree: , " herethere are plants one after another") is in the north-west corner of Saskatchewan and the north-east corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N in Canada. The lake is ...

to the

Vermilion Chutes Vermilion Falls (; ) is a waterfall on the Peace River in Alberta, Canada. It is the second largest waterfall in Canada by average flow rate after the Niagara Falls, and the largest entirely within the country. It is also the 6th widest waterfal ...

, and on the upper river, from

Fort Vermilion Fort Vermilion is a hamlet on the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. Established in 1788, Fort Vermilion shares the title of oldest European settlement in Alberta with Fort Chipewyan. Fort Vermilion contains many ...

Hudson's Hope Hudson's Hope is a district municipality in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, in the Peace River Regional District, British Columbia, Peace River Regional District. Having been first settled along the Peace River in 1805, it is the third-old ...

—a distance of . ''St Charles'' was confined to the upper reaches.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , url = https://calverley.ca/article/03-019-going-up-the-river/ , title = Going up the River? , work =

South Peace Historical Society South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

, author = G.R. Clare , date = 1998 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20201214031153/https://calverley.ca/article/03-019-going-up-the-river/ , archivedate = 2020-12-14 , accessdate = 2020-12-13 , url-status = live , quote = Her season on the river usually consisted of three round-trips to Fort St John and back. 1903 ships Steamships of Canada Water transport in the Northwest Territories

See also

References