Over, Through, Up, & Down
Through
There are many types of boats on the Magnetawan. In this picture Dr. Cullen with his friends and family in the boat ready to go out on a cruise with the Rebbecca. The dock they are casting off from can be seen on the left.
To travel down the river on any of the passenger boats you will need a ticket. The ticket would be punched to show where your going, where your coming from, how much it was going to cost, and what day the ticket is good for.
Once you had your ticket you would have to wait on the dock for your steamer on the dock. Most steamers would also take on a cargo to go to some of the more out of the way places along the Magnetawan.
In Magnetawan there were three regular steamers The Wanita, The Glenada, and this vessel The Armour. There were a dozen or more stops along the Magnetawan River for tourists, locals, or cargo transfers.
The Glenada traveling down the Magnetawan River with passengers. Another of the regular boats which traveled up and down the river with tourists.
The Wanita is the last of the three mainstays steamers on the Magnetawan River. These passenger steamboats ran up and down the Magnetawan until World War II. The vessels stopped because of the increase in the number of cars owned, the roads in the area became paved, and the number of roads were expanded.
If there's one thing is true about people, if you build it we will race. Boats are no exception. The picture was taken during from the Bang and Go Back Race on Regatta day. This picture was shot from a boat that was no better than third place because there are two boats in front.
Here is another picture of an earlier boat race. This one was sponsored by a local lodge, Cedar Croft. The name of the race is the Fisherman's Race.
Like most areas in the north there are cottages. Many of those cottages didn't have easy access to stores. Some enterprising people decided to deliver goods to these cottages during the summer. Hughie Bell is on of these people. This picture has his boat up on the beach.
Not all boats were used for ferrying passengers along the river. The 'Mike' was a tugboat and it would transport anything down the river, though it would be lumber most of the time. However, it would also haul tanbark for the tannery.
Cottagers would likely have a motorboat to get them to and from their car on the mainland. However, once at the cottage people will want to do some pleasure boating. Here we have a cottage's canoe and boat pulled up on the dock.
