ernwn

— Studies on to ¢ see.
if it’s possible

by Nancy Orr

Will sternwheeler days return
to the Skeena? Will we be able to
thrill to the challenge of the
rapids and the white water ds the
pioneers did 100 years ago?

The reality of once again run-
ning a sternwheeler on the
Skeena is one of the schemes be-
ing researched by a summer
employee for Sheridan Con-
sultants, David .Rolfson, a
Master of Business Administra-
tion student at Northwest Com-
munity College.

The vessel under considera-
tion, the paddlewheeler Native
in Richmond, is a genuine mod-
ern sternwheeler, built in 1986,
with steel hull, 91 feet long, 22
feet in the beam, with room for
50 passengers. Its top speed is 10
knots and it cruises at eight, and
according to expert calculation,
should be able to make six miles
per hour against the current in
the Skeena.

“‘We have been looking at the
possibility of a three-month
operation,”’ said Rolfson, ‘‘The
extremes of low water and flood
in the spring would make earlier
use of the river too dangerous.”’

‘‘And we are not thinking of
going through the canyon where
the Mount Royal sank.’’

According to Sheridan, chief
councillor Mel Bevan of the
Kitselas Band has already picked
the exact spot in the river below
the canyon for the ship to tie up.

The length of the run would

depend on many factors, but
with 15,000 tourists registering
this year at the Terrace InfoCen-
tre, the: potential is high for
_ customers. Wedding parties and
family reunions have proven to
be popular users in other places.
There were five other stern-

wheelers interviewed: the Moyie, |

in Kaslo; the Yukon Belle,
Nanaimo; the Fintry Queen,
Kelowna; the §.S. Beaver, Van-
couver and the Pioneer Princess,
Fredericton, New Brunswick.

money,

The questions to be answered - 7

are. innumerable: start-up
advertising and
marketing, Coast Guard stan-
dards, seaworthiness in the
Skeena, docking facilities,
modifications, sponsorship and
financing, and the potential to
break even on the operation.

The M.V. Native has many
tests to go through. One of its
advantages is its maneuverabili-
ty — with its two wheels, it is re-
ported to be able to turn in its
own length — and, of course, its
shallow draft.

The history of the Riverboats
on the Skeena has been fascin-
ating, from the early attempts of
the Union and the Mumford,
through the successful, adven-
turous years beginning with the
Hudson’s Bay Caledonia and its
first run up to Hazelton in 1891.

The years following with the
notorious Captain Bonser, first
on the Caledonia and then on
with the rival Monte Cristo own-
ed by George Cunningham, and
its sister ship, the Hazelton, are
full of the competition and
rivalry with Captain Johnson of
the Hudson Bay’s Mount Royal.
The stories include strandings on
bars, rocky -encounters, ship
‘rammings, sinkings and even
‘shootings in the intense competi-
tion between two captains for
supremacy on the Skeena. The
era ended with the completion of
the railroad and retirement of
the last steamboat on the
Skeena, the Inlander, in 1912. -

Sternwheelers have since been
preserved and used as tourist at-
tractions, deemed part of
history,
Skeena.

But Geraldine Vance, in the
office of Sheridan Consultants,
recalls the tales her mother told
her. When her mother was ex-
pecting Geraldine, she made the

‘trip down the Stikine River by
sternwheeler. And that was in-
1957.

_ Terrace Review — Wednesday, August 1, 1996 AS

especially on the

Riverboat Days.

for the afternogn.

Heritage Park lively
for Riverboat Days

On Sunday, August 5, Heritage Park will be alive with old-
time music, dancing and crafts displays during their annual
‘*Music in Heritage Park’’ day. The celebration will be one of
many activities happening during Terrace’s ninth annual

From 1 to 5 p.m. in Heritage Park (at the top of Kalum hill,
between Terraceview Lodge and the Kin Hut), entertainment
will be provided by the Vicki Parviainen dancers, Norm Des-

_jardins (with his old-time fiddle) and friends, Skeena Squares
square dancers and two or three other musical groups. All the
buildings will be full of displays by local craftspeople —
quilting, weaving, and the sale of many of the displayed
items. Pierre Leross and company will demonstrate black-
powder guns and actually operate the old working telegraph.
There will be home canning and preserves being sold by locals
in-pioneer. dress. In fact, everyone working in Heritage Park

- that day will wear the dress of the day (1890's vintage).

Heritage Park.is free to the public on August 5. Donations
to this wonderful remembrance of our northern heritage
would be greatly appreciated. Bring your lawn chair and stay

all b

A local consulting firm currently has its eye on the modern sternwheeler Native, shown here tied
up at the Richmond dock where the vessel’s owners have made a home out of it.

The business end of the Native recalls pioneering days in the Terrace area, when the Skeena
River was the main highway and stemwheel river boats were the preferred method of travel.