Otter (steamship)
Encyclopedia
The Otter was the second steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest
of North America
, following its sister ship and twin, the much more famous Beaver
. The Otter, a sidewheeler, was used to service trading posts maintained by the Hudson's Bay Company
between Puget Sound
and Alaska
and like its sister the Beaver became pressed into service during the Fraser Gold Rush on the Lower Fraser River
from 1858 onwards. From 16 April 1855 to 3 April 1862 the Otter was captained by William Alexander Mouat
.
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, following its sister ship and twin, the much more famous Beaver
Beaver (steamship)
Beaver was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest of North America. She made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading and was chartered by the Royal Navy for surveying the coastline of British Columbia....
. The Otter, a sidewheeler, was used to service trading posts maintained by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
between 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 Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and like its sister the Beaver became pressed into service during the Fraser Gold Rush on the Lower Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
from 1858 onwards. From 16 April 1855 to 3 April 1862 the Otter was captained by William Alexander Mouat
William Alexander Mouat
- Early life :William Alexander Mouat was baptised on 9 April 1821 in Eastcheap, in the City of London. He was born into a seafaring family. His father William Mouat - born 1774 in Kirkwall, Orkney - was a master mariner and later a coal merchant and a coal meter in the City of London. William...
.