Monte Cristo (sternwheeler)
Encyclopedia
Monte Cristo was a sternwheel steamboat which was operated in Puget Sound
and the coastal rivers of the state of Washington and the province of British Columbia
.
. According to another source, Monte Cristo was built in Ballard, Washington by John J. Holland
, with engines provided by the Moran Brothers
.
The vessel's first owner was Henry Carstens, who had been a purser
for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. He intended to use the boat on the Snohomish River
. The vessel was 90 feet long. In 1893, Carstens sold Monte Cristo to Ernest Shellgren, who owned a store in Longbranch, Washington
where he was also the postmaster. Shellgren sold the vessel in 1896.
In 1898, Monte Cristo was sold to interests who took the vessel to Alaska for use on the Stikine River
, which then thought to be an alternative “All-Canadian” route to the Klondike gold rush
. Monte Cristo was the second vessel to ascent the Stikine River in the 1898 season. The vessel was reregistered in Canada and rebuilt to be longer, narrower, and heavier.
In 1900, Monte Cristo was transferred to the Skeena River
in British Columbia
under the ownership of the firm of R. Cunningham and Son, of Port Essington, BC
, who were mounting a challenge to the domination of the Hudsons Bay Company on the Skeena River trade. Monte Cristo was later chartered by the Dominion government to be used again on the Stikine River for the construction of a telegraph line to the Yukon.
'One source says Monte Cristo was abandoned in 1903, another gives the year as 1922.
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 the coastal rivers of the state of Washington and the province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Career
The sources are in some conflict as to the early career of this vessel. According to one source, Monte Cristo was built in 1891 in Everett, WashingtonEverett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
. According to another source, Monte Cristo was built in Ballard, Washington by John J. Holland
John J. Holland (shipbuilder)
John Holland was a shipbuilder in Seattle, Washington in the late 19th century. Among the vessels built at his yard was the sternwheel steamboat Fairhaven in 1889., and, in 1890, the famous sternwheeler Bailey Gatzert.-References:...
, with engines provided by the Moran Brothers
Robert Moran (shipbuilder)
Robert Moran was a prominent Seattle shipbuilder who served as the city's mayor from 1888 to 1890.A native of New York City, Moran was 18 when, in 1875, he arrived penniless in Seattle, a frontier outpost in the Pacific Northwest, which had been settled in November 1851, and only incorporated...
.
The vessel's first owner was Henry Carstens, who had been a purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. He intended to use the boat on the Snohomish River
Snohomish River
The Snohomish River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, formed by the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers near Monroe. It flows northwest entering Port Gardner Bay, part of Puget Sound, between Everett and Marysville. The Pilchuck River is its main tributary and joins the...
. The vessel was 90 feet long. In 1893, Carstens sold Monte Cristo to Ernest Shellgren, who owned a store in Longbranch, Washington
Longbranch, Washington
Longbranch is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Key Peninsula, along Filucy Bay between Pitt Passage and Balch Passage...
where he was also the postmaster. Shellgren sold the vessel in 1896.
In 1898, Monte Cristo was sold to interests who took the vessel to Alaska for use on the Stikine River
Stikine River
The Stikine River is a river, historically also the Stickeen River, approximately 610 km long, in northwestern British Columbia in Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States...
, which then thought to be an alternative “All-Canadian” route to the Klondike gold rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. Monte Cristo was the second vessel to ascent the Stikine River in the 1898 season. The vessel was reregistered in Canada and rebuilt to be longer, narrower, and heavier.
In 1900, Monte Cristo was transferred to the Skeena River
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada . The Skeena is an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan - whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River" respectively, and also during the...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
under the ownership of the firm of R. Cunningham and Son, of Port Essington, BC
Port Essington, British Columbia
Port Essington was a cannery town on the south bank of the Skeena River estuary in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, between Prince Rupert and Terrace, and at the confluence of the Skeena and Ecstall Rivers. It was founded in 1871 by Robert Cunningham and Thomas Hankin and was for a time...
, who were mounting a challenge to the domination of the Hudsons Bay Company on the Skeena River trade. Monte Cristo was later chartered by the Dominion government to be used again on the Stikine River for the construction of a telegraph line to the Yukon.
'One source says Monte Cristo was abandoned in 1903, another gives the year as 1922.
See also
- Robert Cunningham (entrepreneur)
- Steamboats of the Skeena RiverSteamboats of the Skeena RiverThe Skeena River is British Columbia’s fastest flowing waterway, often rising as much as in a day and can fluctuate as much as sixty feet between high and low water. For the steamboat captains, that made it one of the toughest navigable rivers in British Columbia...
- Steamboats of the Stikine RiverSteamboats of the Stikine Riverright|thumb|Beaver on the Willamette River, OregonSteamboats operated on the Stikine River in response to gold finds in northwestern British Columbia, Canada.- Early activity:...
- Puget Sound Mosquito FleetPuget Sound Mosquito FleetThe 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...