The Skuzzy sternwheeler was built by Canadian Pacific Railway contractor Andrew Onderdonk at Spuzzum, British Columbia and was launched on the Fraser River on May 4, 1882. Later that month, the elephant population in Asia doubled. Spuzzum is a very small town (population below 50) in British Columbia, Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 50 kilometres north of Hope, thus is often referred to as being beyond Hope. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... Andrew Onderdonk circa 1880 Andrew Onderdonk (30 August 1848 – 21 June 1905) was a construction contractor who worked on several major projects including the San Francisco seawall in California and the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia. ... Spuzzum is a very small town (population below 50) in British Columbia, Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 50 kilometres north of Hope, thus is often referred to as being beyond Hope. ... Fraser River watershed The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada, rising near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1400 km (870 mi), into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Vancouver. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In his book, Paddlewheels on the Frontier, Art Downs writes that British Columbia sternwheelers "were expected to do the impossible, and do it profitably." There is no finer example of this statement than the pioneer sternwheeler Skuzzy, the first sternwheeler to ever navigate the perilous rapids north of Yale in the Fraser Canyon. Front Street, Yale, British Columbia circa 1882 during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. ... View of Fraser Canyon near Fountain, BC View of Fraser Canyon looking upstream from Fountain, B.C. The Fraser Canyon is a stretch of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains enroute from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser...

Andrew Onderdonk held the contract to build the 29 1/2 mile section of railway from Boston Bar to Lytton. It was a contract worth $2,573,640. He built the Skuzzy with the intention of moving railway supplies by steamer to the camps north of Yale via the Fraser River instead of using pack trains on the Cariboo Road. He knew that the Skuzzy, if she could make the trip, would save him $10 a ton in road tolls alone. Boston Bar is a town in the Fraser Canyon of the Canadian province of British Columbia. ... Lytton in British Columbia sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. ... Route of the Cariboo Road in red. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Skuzzy on Fraser River near Yale (1883)

Onderdonk's first challenge was to find an experienced swift-water pilot who was brave, or foolhardy, enough to take on the treacherous route. A route that was believed by many experienced rivermen to be un-navigatable. First Onderdonk hired Nate Lane Jr, who had experience on the Fraser, Willamette and Stikine rivers. Lane took one look at the waterway in question and promptly walked away. Undetered, Onderdonk turned to veteran skipper Ausbury Insley, who had 30 years of experience. Insley consented to give it a try, and the Skuzzy was taken up the Fraser on May 17th. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Fraser River watershed The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada, rising near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1400 km (870 mi), into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Vancouver. ... Front Street, Yale, British Columbia circa 1882 during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. ... The Willamette River (pronounced wil-LAM-met) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 240 mi (386 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. ... Location map of the Stikine River The Stikine River (sti-KEEN) is a river, approximately 335 mi (539 km) long, in northwestern British Columbia in Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. ...

Alexandra Bridge

Captain Insley was able to guide the Skuzzy upstream through the whirlpools and rapids and under the Alexandra Bridge which had been built by the Royal Engineers in 1863, but when Insley got the Skuzzy to the entrance of the Hell's Gate Canyon he could take her no further. The Fraser was at it highest point in forty years and passage was impossible. Onderdunk still wasn't ready to give up however, and he sent for Captain SR Smith and his brother, David, from Oregon and an engineer named JW Burse. Under their command, on September 7th, the Skuzzy once more swung into the head of the Hell's Gate rapids, and once again, she couldn't struggle through. Onderdonk then had ringbolts drilled into the canyon's walls and he stationed 125 Asian railway employees above. All of these preparations was observed by cheering spectators who arrived daily from Yale on five railroad cars, many of whom were betting heavily on the outcome. Very few bets were laid on the Skuzzy making the trip and the odds against her were often 100 to 1. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been created since ancient times as early as 100 AD. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians and livestock, are still constructed, based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... Hells Gate, British Columbia Hells Gate is a 35 metre (110 foot) narrowing of British Columbias Fraser River Canyon, located immediately downstream of Boston Bar. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ...

Hell's Gate Canyon

Despite those long odds, the men who had gambled on Onderdunk and his sternwheeler wouldn't be sorry. Finally, with the aid of her steam capstan winching in the cable, her paddlewheel spinning furiously and 125 men pulling at her tow rope, the Skuzzy inched up through Hell's Gate. It took her 16 days to make the 16 mile trip to Boston Bar, but they would be the most treacherous 16 miles of river ever plied by a sternwheeler. The Skuzzy would make history and be the first sternwheeler to arrive in Lytton. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (998x600, 234 KB) Summary This picture was taken by my rather, Endre Cleven, about 1956. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (998x600, 234 KB) Summary This picture was taken by my rather, Endre Cleven, about 1956. ... A portion of a model depicting a manual capstan in use. ...

External Links

• Lytton Museum Newsletter

• Towards the Last Spike poem online

• Colorful Characters at Historic Yale

References

• Paddlewheels on the Frontier Volume One Art Downs ISBN 0888260334