This photo was posted Kelly McCaw in Muskoka History and Genealogy.
From the Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre:
1887, long before the era of modern highways, the R.M.S. Segwun was built in Glasgow, Scotland, and assembled at Gravenhurst. The ship was originally a side paddlewheel steamer named “Nipissing II” and served as a connection – transporting passengers, mail, and freight from Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst to cottages, resorts and homes that were beginning to populate the Muskoka Lakes. By 1914, Nipissing was withdrawn from service. 10 years later in 1924, following the first world-war, work began to rebuild the superstructure of the vessel and new engines arrived from Goderich, Ontario. In 1925, the ship was given her new name, an Ojibwa word: segwun, meaning “springtime”.
Her maiden voyage took place on July 9, 1925. The photograph above was taken that day as she steamed to Bracebridge. The new steamer proved to be the fastest of the ships on the lakes, continuing her service to Canada Post and the many visitors to the area. By 1958, with mail delivery taking more land routes, Segwun made her last trip and was decommissioned. In 1962 she was converted into a floating maritime museum at Gravenhurst Wharf and thus escaped deconstruction.
Work began in 1973 with help from steamship enthusiasts of the Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society and the Ontario Road Builders, and the RMS Segwun was officially re-launched in 1974 by Pierre Elliott Trudeau. After further restoration, Segwun began her new career in 1981 as a cruise ship on the Muskoka Lakes. As the sole survivor of the fleet, she continues to hold status with Canada Post as an official “Royal Mail Ship”.
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