PS Frontenac

"Frontenac" was a steamboat, the first paddle steamer launched on the Great Lakes, in 1817.

Built in Ernesttown, Ontario, by American contractors for Kingston businessmen during 1816 at a cost of ₤15,000, she entered service in spring 1817. "Frontenac" conducted regular runs across Lake Ontario between Kingston, York (now Toronto), and Niagara-on-the-Lake, but rarely managed to make money in eight years; the provincial population was simply too small.

"Frontenac" was sold for ₤1550 to John Hamilton in 1824, who persisted two more unsuccessful years before selling her for scrap at Niagara in 1827. Before she could be scrapped, she burned to the waterline due to arson.

Sources

*Lewis, Walter. "Frontenac", in "The Canadian Encyclopedia", Volume 2, p.850. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1988.