 SS Colvile docked at Norway House, Keewatin District, c. 1880 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Colvile |
| Owner | Hudson's Bay Company |
| Builder | John Reeves at Grand Forks |
| Completed | 1875 |
| Fate | Burned 1894 |
| Notes | Two non-condensing side-valve engines made April 1872 by C. Dumont, Cincinnati, Ohio |
SS Colvile was a Lake Winnipeg steamboat built for the Hudson's Bay Company in Grand Forks, Dakota Territory. Colvile was constructed, using some parts of the vessel called Chief Commissioner which in turn used a boiler taken from Anson Northup . Colvile was one of the largest vessels constructed for the HBC. The company hired Captain J. Reeves to supervise the construction of the vessel. [1]
By 1878 Colvile was a vital link in the HBC trade on the Red River of the North and Saskatchewan River routes. When a railway was built to Selkirk, Manitoba, a storage area was built on the shore of the river. Later, this site became known as the Colvile Landing. A railway spur was constructed from the Selkirk station to the landing. [2]
Colvile was destroyed by fire in 1894 while docked in the town of Grand Rapids in the northwest corner of Lake Winnipeg. The fire also destroyed several dockside buildings. [3]