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Ste. Claire underway up bound in the
Detroit River 1913 |
The steamer Ste. Claire represents
the typical propeller-driven excursion steamer of the turn of
the century, a type once found in many parts of the country.
Excursion steamers are steamships built primarily for passengers
for day trips. Ste. Claire and her running mate Columbia
represent the "ocean-going" type of excursion vessel although
they were used on lakes.
The steamer Columbia and Ste. Claire are the last two remaining
classic excursion steamers in the country; and the last
essentially unaltered passenger ships designed by Frank E.
Kirby; and for their essentially unaltered propulsion machinery
of a type becoming increasingly rare ; as the two last vessels
of the Detroit and Windsor Ferry Co.; as two of the few
surviving vessels built by the Detroit Dry Dock Company, and for
their unaltered propulsion machinery, which is of a rare type.
Columbia is the oldest passenger steamer in the United States,
excepting vessels properly classed as ferries. Columbia and her
running-mate Ste. Claire are the last two steamers of their type
with integrity left in the United States. The pair shared their
original run from Detroit to Bob-Lo Island for 81 years, a
record of service on a single run unequalled in U. S. history
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Ste. Claire at the Toledo Shipyard
1910 |
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THIS SITE |
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STEAM POWERED |
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for maximum efficiency |
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