The Kawigamog was a steamship that carried passengers and all kinds of cargo on the Pickerel River, a tributary of the French River, that drains Lake Nipissing into Georgian Bay, in Ontario.[2]

Steamship Kawigamog in northern Ontario
History
BuilderArthur Walton, Loving, Ontario[1]
Yard number134459
Completed1913
Fatescuttled 1928 Wauquimakog Lake in Port Loring
General characteristics
TypeSteamship
Displacement54 tons
Length72 feet (22 m)
Installed powerEngine 7-14x10 by Midland Engine Works
Propulsionscrew[1]
Speed10 knots
Notesbow was plated with .75 inches (1.9 cm) steel plates

She was built in 1913 by a family of boat builders, headed by Arthur Walton,[3] who had built several steamships for service on the Magnetawan River.[2][4] As development of the Magnetawan basin brought roads it reduced the need for steamboats, so they relocated north, to the Pickerel. She was the first steamship on the Pickerel, and could only navigate a small portion until the outlet of Wilson Lake (or Wauquimakog Lake) was deepened.

She was 72 feet (22 m) long, and displaced 54 tons.[2] Unlike most other similar vessels she was built with a relatively low bow, so she could beach her bow to load or unload passengers and cargo where there were no docks.

Her bow was plated with .75 inches (1.9 cm) steel plates, allowing her to travel through ice-encrusted water, making her the first vessel to be used in the spring.[2][4]

She was worn out by 1928, and was scuttled.[2][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kawigamog (1913)". Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Walter Lewis. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Astrid Taim (2016). "Astrid Taim's Almaguin Chronicles 2-Book Bundle: Almaguin / Almaguin Chronicles". Dundurn Press. pp. 380–392. ISBN 9781459737006. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Taim, Astrid (January 31, 2007). Almaguin Chronicles: Memories of the Past. Dundurn. ISBN 9781459712416.
  4. ^ a b c Hilary Chambers. "What Happened to the Kawigamog?". Retrieved September 9, 2018. Kawigamog is an Ojibway word for "Where the Waters Turn Back", named by its designer, young Edward Walton.