The steamer Missouri was owned by the Northern Michigan Transportation Co. when this photograph was taken at Collingwood’s busy wharf in July 1914. Passengers arriving from numerous ports of call were a common sight in Collingwood’s early years, so much so that an American Consulate Office was established on Huron Street. The frequency of the Missouri’s travel to Collingwood is largely unknown; however, the Huron Institute Collection contains five photographs of the vessel in Collingwood between 1912 and 1914.
S.S. Missouri was designed by Washington I. Babcock and built by the Chicago Ship Building Company in 1904. Its luxurious cabin boasted plush green upholstered seating and 18 more staterooms than the Transportation Company’s S.S. Illinois. The Missouri changed hands six times, serving for the following companies: Northern Michigan Transportation Co. (1904-1918), Michigan Transit Co. (1918-1926), Milwaukee Boat Co. (1932-1933), Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co. (1933-1936), and Sand Products Corp. (1936-1947). On August 6, 1947 the tugs Thistle and Helena towed Missouri to Hamilton for scrapping by the Steel Co. of Canada Ltd.
Remember This is a weekly series of historic photographs submitted by the Collingwood Museum to CollingwoodToday.ca. These photographs were originally collected and documented by the Huron Institute in an historical catalogue entitled Huron Institute Paper and Records: Volume III. Much of Collingwood’s early history has been preserved due to the dedication and foresight of the early museum’s founders, namely its secretary-curator David Williams, upon its establishment in 1904.
