When The City of Medicine Hat Sank In Saskatoon
In the early-20th century, it was not an uncommon sight to see paddle steamers on the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers in Alberta and Saskatchewan. People and cargo travelled between the various cities in the prairies with these beautiful boats that are, for the most part, long gone from the rivers.
One of the most famous of the paddle steamers was the City of Medicine Hat.
The ship launched on June 4, 1907 but sadly did not have a long life on the water. Designed by Horatio Hamilton Ross, who also captained the ship, he raised $28,000 to construct the ship. This was the third paddle steamer constructed by Ross, who was a former Scottish nobleman that came to Canada in the late-19th century.
Inside The City of Medicine Hat were oak and brass fittings, a music box and modern amenities. When she launched, she was used for pleasure cruises and to haul cargo from Medicine Hat to Winnipeg.
In the spring of 1908, the ship began a trip from Medicine Hat to Winnipeg. Ross was at the helm and on the ship with him were various friends and crew.
On June 7, 1908, she reached Saskatoon. At the time, there were several rail bridges that crossed the South Saskatchewan River. The river was especially high due to a full spring flood, which lowered clearance under the bridges.
As Ross reached the Grand Trunk Bridge, he had his passengers get off so he could lower the ship’s smokestack and navigate under the bridge.
He successful got the ship under the bridge. What he didn’t know was that telegraph wires under the surface of the high water on the other side of the bridge. As he continued on his way down river, the ship’s rudder became entangled in the wires. Ross was unable to steer the ship and it collided with the south-most pier of the under-construction Traffic Bridge.
The ship began to take on water as the crew jumped to safety.
While everyone on the ship survived, The City of Medicine Hat was a total loss.
The cargo was removed but the ship remained in the river. Eventually, a sandbar developed around it and slowly engulfed the ship over the years.
When Rotary Park was constructed using landfill, it further buried the ship.
In 2006, Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services divers discovered the kedge anchor of the ship during a training dive. This led to a five-day, full-scale, underwater excavation in September 2008. Many artifacts were brought out, including pieces of the ship’s hull.