When the Ploughboy Came to Town

By John C. Carter

Introduction:

Travel in Upper Canada in the mid 1850s-60s was difficult. There were few roads which were usually in poor condition. Travel by horse, buggy and stage coach and by sleigh in winter, was often arduous. Lake travel on schooners was weather and wind dependent, causing uncertainty and often sketchy schedules. Railways were being considered and planned for, but construction had not yet been completed for most. There was often no other way to travel to areas bordering the western Great Lakes during this period. All this changed in 1856. In an advertisement in the February 6 edition of the Windsor Herald, it was announced that the side-wheel steamer Ploughboy would commence service from Detroit, touching at Windsor, Sarnia, Bayfield, Goderich and Saugeen. Duncan Rowan would be captain during this season, offering a regular schedule both up and down Lake Huron. What a game changer this would prove to be! [1]

The Story:

The Ploughboy had been built in Chatham for W. & W. Eberts, and was officially launched on June 24, 1851. Her first route was between Chatham, Amherstburg and Detroit, through to the end of the 1853 shipping season. In March of 1854, the Ploughboy was purchased by Park and Company of Amherstburg, and put on the Port Stanley to Buffalo route. She stopped at various intermediate ports on Lake Erie, carrying passengers and freight, and was commanded by Captain S.S. Hollywood. This “North Shore Shuffle” would continue through to the end of 1855.

During that winter, the Ploughboy was totally refurbished. The Windsor Herald proclaimed that she now “…universally admitted to be the safest boat of her size on the Lakes.” Her route changed again, to the benefit of those wanting to travel on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, plying between Detroit and Collingwood. Regularly scheduled stops would be made at Goderich, Kincardine, Saugeen (Southampton [2]), Owen Sound (Secord’s Dock) and Meaford (Stevenson’s Dock). At Kincardine, the Ploughboy would drop anchor out from the piers, and a scow would be rowed out to off-load passengers and freight. A similar activity was recorded in the August 3, 1856 diary of Arthur G. Robinson, Chief Engineer for the Federal Board of Works who was overseeing the construction of Chantry Island Lighthouse. He noted that he was waiting for the Ploughboy at Stoney Point, left there and proceeded to Saugeen where he landed, and was “…sent ashore in skiff-nearly swamped.” Park and Company was also awarded a contract to carry mail from Detroit and Windsor to various Lake Huron ports. This contributed to a great improvement for the local postal service. Political intrigue and chicanery were factors in gaining and retaining these lucrative contracts. The Ploughboy was not immune from this process.

Disaster struck on May 1, 1856, as when she was entering the Saugeen River the Ploughboy grounded. In the May 16 edition of the Chatham Planet, it was noted that; ”By telegraph we have just received news that the Ploughboy was run on rocks at the Saugeen Harbour, and supposed to be a total loss.” In the following issue, a clarification and update were provided; “The steamer Ploughboy as we noted last week got ashore at Saugeen-she got off with-out any material damage, but on her passage down the lake by some derangement taking place in her machinery burst her cylinder, and had to be in tow by the Canadian who took her down to Detroit on Saturday last, where she will undergo repairs”. In the meantime, another Park owned vessel, the steamer Mohawk, took her place on the route. The Saugeen accident was also reported in the Buffalo Daily Republic of May 12. A week later, it was noted by the Republic that repairs to the Ploughboy had been completed, and that she had resumed her trips between Detroit, Goderich and Saugeen. In 1857, the Ploughboy was back on Lake Erie, but also continued to visit intermediate ports on Lake Huron, and was due to stop at the newly constructed pier at Port Bruce. At the end of the 1857 season, the Ploughboy came upon the schooner D.B. Sexton in “hapless condition” off Clark’s Point, and towed the disabled vessel to the Goderich Harbour. In addition, Captain Duncan Rowan was heralded for being instrumental in saving the lives of the crew of the schooner Gamecock near Goderich. The service provided by the Ploughboy was readily taken advantage of. [3] Increased demand resulted in the steamers Canadian (formerly Canadian Lily) and the Kaloolah also being put on this route.

Conclusion:

In 1858, the Ploughboy would make Collingwood its home port, [4] and extend its route north-west to Bruce Mines [5], Sault Ste. Marie and Fort William. This service would continue until the end of the 1863. In 1864, the Ploughboy was renamed the T.F. Park, and relocated back to Essex County. There it operated on the Detroit River, Lake Erie, and Lake St. Clair as a wrecking tug, tow boat, and excursion steamer. Unfortunately her days on the Great Lakes ended on June 3, 1870. While undergoing refitting to again be put on the Port Stanley to Cleveland route, she caught fire at Sibley’s Dock in Detroit. The vessel was destroyed and sunk. Ultimately in October, she was scuttled in deep waters of Lake Erie, following a legal dispute with the City of Detroit. As part of efforts to improve transportation to Upper Canada, the Ploughboy played an important yet often overlooked part in our maritime history. In addition, she should be remembered as a positive influence in the development of what would become Ontario, something we can all be thankful for!

Dr. John C. Carter is a regular contributor to WT, and is the author of The Perils and Pitfalls of the Steamer Ploughboy. For information about obtaining a copy of this book, contact kives@erca.org. Dr. Carter can be reached at drjohncarter@bell.net.