The Steamboat Era in the Muskokas: Volume 2, The Golden Years to Present; A History of Steam Navigation in the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound 1906 to Present

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of History at Brock
University and author of TheWar of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won.

With several published books to his credit, Richard S. Tatley is a well-known historian of steamboating in southern Ontario. His qualifications include an Honours B.A. in history and English, membership in the Steamship Historical Society of America, and a role in the founding of the Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society as well as the restoration of the S.S. Segwun.

The second of two volumes, The Steamboat Era in the Muskokas takes the story from 1906 to the present. It covers the “Golden Age of the Muskoka Steamers,” 1906-1920, as well as steamboating in adjacent lakes and rivers. Three chapters detail the sad decline and fall of steamboat travel. But the book ends on a happier note as Tatley describes recent, increasing use of steamboats as well as the Segwun’s restoration.

The author was a witness to the passing of the steamboat era in the 1950s, and this stimulated his interest in their history. He devoted years to collecting printed, manuscript, graphic, and oral materials about steamboats and the people associated with them. The result is a book crammed with information about the vessels, the companies and people who owned and operated them, the communities they served, and the adventures they had.

The work is a thorough, serious, definitive record equipped with a bibliography and two indexes. Yet the author finds opportunities to lighten the tone. I enjoyed the stories about Gerald Leeder, Purser on the Ahmic — particularly his refusal to let the president of the line (Major Hugh MacLean) board the ship until he had shown his pass. I was impressed, as readers will be, by the navigating skills of Captain Andy Corbett, who could use the twittering of birds and the tinkling of a cow bell to help steer his course.

The text is illuminated and enriched by numerous clearly reproduced photographs. Aside from the maps, which are too busy, the author and publisher can be proud of this extremely fine book, which should interest both general readers and specialists.