Clara Brown was a sternwheel steamboat of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet

Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet

The Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet was a large number of private transportation companies running smaller passenger and freight boats on Puget Sound and nearby waterways and rivers. This large group of steamers and sternwheelers plied the waters of Puget Sound, stopping at every waterfront dock...

 which operated from the late 1880s to the early 1900s, and possibly as late as 1930.

Career

Clara Brown was built in 1886 by Hiram Doncaster, for Capt. Thomas Brown, the owner of the Brown Wharf and Navigation Company. The vessel was named for Captain Brown's daughter. The vessel was placed in service on the Henderson Bay

Henderson Bay

Henderson Bay is a bay on the Aupouri Peninsula, at very top of the North Island in New Zealand. It is on the eastern side of the peninsula, close to New Zealand State Highway 1 near Houhora. A metal road connects the bay to the highway....

 route in south Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

 and surrounding areas, serving communities such as Olympia

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

, Kalmiche, Shelton

Shelton, Washington

Shelton is the county seat, of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 9,834 at the 2010 census. In terms of population, the city is ranked 161 out of approximately 500 municipalities in Washington...

, Steilacoom, Tacoma, and Seattle. The vessel became famous as the first one to reach Seattle with relief supplies after the great Seattle file in June 1889.