Minto (sternwheeler)

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Minto was a sternwheel steamboat that served on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia from 1898 to 1954. Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), she was one of three steel-and-wood steamers made for possible service on the Klondike’s Stikine River, a plan that ultimately didn’t work out. Instead, Minto and her sisters found steady work on the Arrow Lakes.

Construction and launch
Parts for Minto were manufactured in Toronto and shipped west. She was assembled at the Bulger shipyard on upper Arrow Lake at Nakusp. The Minto hulls were built on steel frames with wooden bottoms, giving them strength and ice-handling ability. Minto was launched and began her maiden voyage on November 19, 1898.

Design and capacity
Minto had a long, relatively wide hull with a steel-sided exterior. She could carry about 400 passengers and a crew of around 33. Her power came from coal-fired boilers driving twin steam engines and a sternwheel, which pushed the boat along the lakes. The design allowed her to operate through some ice, which was important for winter service on the lakes.

Service on the Arrow Lakes
Minto was part of a small fleet of CPR sternwheelers on the Arrow Lakes, including Moyie, Rossland, Kootenay, Trail, and Lytton, plus some tugs. Minto often operated in winter while others ran more in summer. The ship was particularly valued for its ice-handling abilities during harsh winters.

Upgrades and changes
Over the years, Minto was updated. In the winter of 1909–1910, extra cabin space was added. In 1920, 20 new staterooms were installed, and in 1929 the boiler was replaced. These changes kept Minto useful as travel patterns shifted and passenger demand evolved.

Decline and end of service
After World War I, travel and shipping on the Arrow Lakes declined as rail travel improved. By 1954, only Minto and Moyie remained in regular passenger service. Minto’s last run was on April 24, 1954, from Robson to Nakusp and back, with many locals and visitors aboard to mark the occasion.

Fate and destruction
After retirement, CPR offered to move Minto to a museum, but the plan never happened. In 1956 she was sold to a Nelson junk dealer, who stripped the ship and left only the hull. A later attempt to salvage or restore what remained also failed. In 1968, Minto was deliberately burned on the lake, and the hull was sunk. The drowning of the Arrow Lakes area promised by the Keenleyside Dam added urgency to preservation efforts that never came to pass.

Legacy
The name Minto lived on in the “Minto” class of sailing dinghies, inspired by a lifeboat from the steamer and kept as a memorial to this era of lake transportation. Minto’s long service helped link small Arrow Lakes communities and remains a notable example of the region’s steamboat history.