Community Waterfront Heritage Centre

Our Story:

100 Years on the Waterfront

This summer, the Community Waterfront Heritage

Centre is celebrating the 100th birthday of Owen Sound Transportation Company, looking at the history of the port, the people who worked on the ships, and the different aspects of the marine service through time. The use of Owen Sound as a commercial port began in 1842 when storekeeper W.C. Boyd purchased a schooner to transport his family and supplies from Toronto. To cope with the sandbar that blocked the inner harbour’s mouth, he built a dock beyond it and soon, a whole fleet of small ships was using Boyd’s wharf. By the end of the 1800s, Owen Sound was the busiest port in Canada. Each week during the navigational season, three CPR steamers sailed to Sault Ste. Marie and Fort William. Four liners of the Northern Navigation Company from Collingwood and two from the Algoma Central Railway called at Owen Sound regularly. As soon as Owen Sound developed as a port, vessels began transporting goods to the remote communities along the north shore of Georgian Bay. The Dominion Transportation Company and Owen Sound Transportation Company were two companies vying for this business. Products ranging from groceries to building supplies and manufactured goods came from across Ontario and Quebec. Arriving in Owen Sound by rail, they were transferred to the boats and delivered to the North Shore of Georgian Bay and Manitoulin Island as far as Sault Ste. Marie and Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior. The Owen Sound Transportation Company began the Tobermory-South Baymouth ferry service in 1930, with the small wooden ship Kagawong, which could carry eight automobiles per trip. In 1931, the OSTC applied for an exclusive franchise for the ferry service. It was granted, and in 1932, the M.S. Normac started on the ferry run. She could transport 66 passengers and had staterooms for 40; she could also carry 18 automobiles. The service became so popular that in 1946, the company built the Norisle. She could handle 50 automobiles, and during her first season, Norisle carried almost 13,000 vehicles and more than 40,000 people. By 1963, that number had grown to nearly 20,000 cars and 60,000 passengers. Due to long delays, the Norgoma joined the ferry service, replacing the smaller Normac. From 1964 until 1973, the two ships sailed the route, but the line-ups continued to grow. Finally, in 1974, the Ontario Government purchased the service and commissioned the Chi-Cheemaun to be built at the Collingwood Shipyards. Our exhibit will be available in person when the museum is open and virtually after June 15th, through the magic of augmented reality and on our website www.waterfrontheritage.ca

OUR STORY: 100

YEARS ON THE WATERFRONT

1155 1st Avenue West, Owen Sound ON (519) 371-3333 Find us on

Owen Sound, Ontario • www.allthingst.ca