1August 1993 2 3 Promotion of Steamboat Travel on the North Saskatchewan River 4 5 ....edited by Marijan Salopek 6 7 ==================================== 8 9 The wreck of the steamer City of Winnipeg, formerly the Manitoba, 10 as she was being brought across Lake Winnipeg, is a great loss, 11 not only to the owners, but to the people of the whole 12 Saskatchewan country, as it will be impossible to put another 13 boat in her place in time to be of much service next season. 14 Each year the necessity for more and improved steamers on the 15 river is more severely felt as the population increases and the 16 country develops, and each year the difficulties of the roads 17 between Winnipeg and here become greater. During the season now 18 nearly over, it was no uncommon thing for carts to be three 19 months on the way, while the distance could be made by steamer 20 with all ease in twenty days. As the country opens up heavy 21 goods, such as machinery, stoves and building hardware, are more 22 needed. But the difficulty of bringing such articles in carts is 23 so great as to almost prevent their being brought, and when they 24 do get here the cost of freighting is so great as to put the 25 price almost out reach. The Saskatchewan is considered by some 26 not to be fit for navigation to any extent, but it must be very 27 bad indeed if it is not better than slow going oxen on a muddy 28 road 1,000 miles long... 29 ... A good line of boats on the river would do nearly as 30 much to open up the country as the railroad itself, and would, 31 for all time to come, offer strong competition to the railroad, 32 especially on eastern bound freight. 33 An advantage that a line of boats on the Saskatchewan would 34 have over one on the Red or Assiniboine rivers is that full loads 35 (coal and lumber) could be had for every return trip; in fact 36 that is what is principally needed for the development of these 37 two industries. 38 When the Lake Winnipeg & Hudson's Bay Railway is completed, 39 as it will be ultimately, it, in connection with the navigation 40 of the Saskatchewan, will form the shortest and most natural 41 outlet for the surplus produce of this country on its way to the 42 English market, putting Edmonton on nearly as good a footing for 43 the shipping of grain as St. Paul is now. 44 45 Source: , November 5, 1881.