Kuskanook

Kuskanook underway, 1928.
History
Name	Kuskanook
Owner	Canadian Pacific Railway
Operator	CPR River and Lake Service
Route	Kootenay Lake
Builder	James M. Bulger
Cost	$104,145..37
Launched	May 5, 1906
Maiden voyage	July 19, 1906
Out of service	December 1931
Identification	Canada #121758
Fate	Converted to floating hotel in 1932 and sank in 1936.
General characteristics
Type	inland all-purpose.
Tonnage	1008 GRT; 548 NRT
Length	193.5 ft (58.98 m)
Beam	30.9 ft (9.42 m)
Depth	7 ft (2.13 m) depth of hold
Installed power	twin steam engines, horizontally mounted: cylinder bore 22 in (56 cm); stroke 8 ft 3 in (251 cm); 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower; boiler generated steam pressure 180 p.s.i.
Propulsion	stern-wheel
Capacity	Licensed for 450 passengers; 37 staterooms.
Crew	Twenty-eight (including seven officers).

Kuskanook was a wooden, stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on Kootenay Lake, in British Columbia from 1906 to 1931. After being taken out of service, Kuskanook was sold for use as a floating hotel, finally sinking in 1936. The vessel name is also seen spelled Kooskanook.^[1]

Kootenay Lake was a long, glacially carved lake running north to south in the Kootenay region in British Columbia.^[2] About halfway along the lake's length, an extension called the Western Arm curved in to Nelson, British Columbia.^[2] Near the junction of the Western Arm with the main lake were, on the north of the arm, Balfour, and on the south, Proctor.^[2]

North of Balfour, about halfway between the Western Arm and Lardeau, was the town of Kaslo, British Columbia.^[2] Just to the east across the lake from the Western Arm there were landings at Kootenay Bay, Crawford Bay, and Pilot Bay.^[2] At the southern end of the lake was Kootenay Landing, which was the furthest point reached by railroad when Kuskanook was built.^[2]

Kuskanook was built by James M. Bulger at Nelson, British Columbia, in 1906 for the Canadian Pacific Railway.^[3] No sternwheeler had been built in Nelson since Moyie was launched in 1898.^[4] Kuskanook was one of a pair of nearly identical vessels ordered by CPR, the other being Okanagan, which was placed into service in 1907 on Okanagan Lake.^[4] Both Kuskanook and Okanagan were based on the design of an earlier vessel, the Arrow Lakes sternwheeler Rossland.

The vessel cost $104,145.37.^[3] The parts had been manufactured in eastern Canada and brought to Nelson to be assembled.^[5] The launch on May 5, 1906, was reportedly attended by 3,500 people.^[5]

Kuskanook was 193.5 ft (58.98 m), long, measured over the hull, exclusive of the fantail on which the stern-wheel was mounted.^[3] The steamer had a beam of 30.9 ft (9.42 m) with a depth of hold of 7 ft (2.13 m) .^[3] The Canadian merchant vessel registry number was Canada #121758.^[3]

According to one source, Kuskanook had 37 staterooms and was licensed to carry 450 passengers.^[3] Another, more detailed source, states that Kuskanook had four dining room tables, with total seating for 32 persons, with 39 staterooms, and a total passenger capacity of 400.^[6] By the mid-1920s Kuskanook could carry eight motor vehicles, mostly on the route between Nelson and the settlement of Kuskonook, just north of Kootenay Landing.^[6]

Kuskanook had three decks, the freight and machinery deck, above which were the passenger deck and the texas deck.^[4] The wheelhouse was placed just forward of the funnel and stepped back from forward edge of the texas deck cabins.^[4] The passenger accommodations were the finest yet seen on the Canadian Pacific's sternwheelers.^[4]

Kuskanook required a crew of twenty-eight, including seven officers.^[6]

Kuskanook was driven by twin steam engines turning a stern-wheel. Each steam engine was horizontally mounted, with a cylinder bore of 22 in (56 cm), and a piston stroke of 8 ft 3 in (251 cm).^[3] The steam plant generated 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower.^[3] The boiler generated steam pressure ad 180 p.s.i.^[3]

Kuskanook and other lake steamers were often the only connections the communities along Kootenay Lake had with the outside world.^[5] Kuskanook made its initial trip on July 19, 1906, running from Nelson BC to Kootenay Landing.^[3] Kootenay Landing was the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached the landing from points east through Crowsnest Pass.^[4] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service.^[4]

Because of the connection to the Crowsnest railway, the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run was called the “Crow Boat” route.^[4] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service.^[4]

Kuskanook was extensively refitted in 1911, and in 1913 was replaced on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run by the new steel-hulled steamer Naskookin.^[3] Kuskanook was refitted in 1914 and placed on the Nelson-Kaslo run.^[3] From 1914 to December 31, 1930 Kuskanook was also operated as a relief steamer for Nasookin, and for excursions departing from Nelson.^[3] Kuskanook also called at Balfour, where before the First World War, to encourage tourism, the Canadian Pacific had built a 50-room hotel.^[7]

In 1925 there was a steam pipe explosion on Kuskanook.^[8] A water trap failed in the main steam pipe leading aft to the boiler, and high pressure steam burst out all through the engine room.^[8] Three crew members were scalded to death.^[8] This was probably the worst fatal accident in the history of the Canadian Pacific's Lake and River Service.^[8]

The completion of the B.C. Southern rail link between Kootenay Landing and Proctor eliminated the need for steamboat service between the two points.^[5] Road construction had already reduced the demand for steamer transport.^[5] In 1931, Kuskanook was worked on the Proctor-Crawford Bay-Lardeau run, and on excursions.^[3]

In December 1931, Canadian Pacific sold Kuskanook to Arthur D. Pochin. Canadian Pacific decided to keep Moyie in service, even though older, because Kuskanook’s wooden hull made the boat surplus.^[9] Pochin tied Kuskanook up to a wharf at Nelson for use as a floating hotel.^[3] The boat was later towed to Kootenay Landing, where it sank in 1936.^[3]

The wreck of Kuskanook lies at Kokanee Landing, on Highway 3A, about 30 km east of Nelson.^[10] The wreck lies perpendicular to the shore, and can be readily seen during low water.^[10]

• Affleck, Edward L. (2000). A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon, and Alaska. Vancouver, BC: Alexander Nicholls Press. ISBN 0-920034-08-X.

• Downs, Art (1972). Paddlewheels on the Frontier -- The Story of British Columbia and Yukon Sternwheel Steamers. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. 126-130. ISBN 978-0875642116.
• Mills, Randall V. (1947). Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country. Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska. ISBN 0-8032-5874-7. LCCN 77007161.
• Newell, Gordon R., ed. (1966). H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. LCCN 66025424.

• Turner, Robert D. (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service (1st ed.). Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. ISBN 0919203159.