An old photo of the SS Tashmoo, from version 1.0 of International Metropolis. Launched in 1900, she sailed the river and the lakes until June 18, 1936, when she struck a submerged rock in the river, and limped towards Amherstburg, where she made it to a dock, before sinking in 18 feet of water.
The Detroit News, has a good history here.
This article ran in the Windsor Daily Star, July 22, 1936:
CONVERT TASHMOO’S UPPER STRUCTURE INTO SUMMER HOME
While the Tashmoo will soon be a thing of the past, her hull now being in the hands of the wreckers, that proud ship’s upper structure will remain a familiar sight to visitors along the Detroit River at Amherstburg. Yesterday the structure was lifted intact from its position on the sunken pleasure ship by employees of Captain J. Earl McQueen of Amherstburg.
Captain McQueen intends to convert the structure into a summer cottage, only minor changes being necessary to accomplish this. The cottage will face out into the waters of the river and will remain a link with the past, for the Tashmoo plied these waters for almost 40 years.
Does anyone know anything about this? Amherstburgians? It’s not still there is it? Is it standing, but hidden?
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Also, I’ll be guest hosting today on Scaledown Radio. It’s on from Noon to 1:00 pm, on CJAM 91.5 FM. Listen in, if you can’t pick up the signal on your radio, you can listen live on-line, or even after the show streaming it via the CJAM website.
Today, I’ll be talking a little bit about this weekend’s upcoming Doors Open event, as well as the resignation of Greg Heil from the Heritage Committee, and Councilor Ron Jones’ lies in the paper following that.
Check it out if you can.
That’s a whole lot of history that we are missing in this area, is our marine history. But then this is Windsor, we have no real official history, it is almost as if we treat the river and lakes as a sterile object to be viewed behind steel barriers (parks)
I think I might know where that is. I’ll talk to my dad tonight when I get home from work. If it is where I think it is, it might be just in front of my aunt and uncles house that is if it is indeed still there if so I’ll get up early and take pictures of it if I can.
I just go off the phone with my dad. He is not 100% sure if it is in fact the wheel house off the Tashmoo but what I can confirm is that my aunt and uncle live in a house owned by Captain McQueen and in front of it was a cottage on the water that resembled a wheelhouse. Sadly the house that it was property too (not the same as the McQueen house that my aunt and uncle own) was sold to new owners and the new owners tore the wheel house down and put up in its place a gazebo on the same foot print it is out on Dalhousie Street in Amherstburg. Least thats what I gathered from talking to my dad.
A’Burg Dave – Thanks for the detective work!
If you come up with any photos let me know, I’d be happy to post them.
There’s a reference to it in “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” (revised, 1984) by The Marine Historical Society of Detroit, edited by Rev. Peter Van der Linden that implies that the sturcture is gone. I quote:
“The Wreck was scrapped soon after (her 6/18/1936 sinking) although her pilot housed served as a summer cottage near Wallaceburg, Ontario for many years and the ship’s bell is preserved in Greenfield Village Museum…….”
I don’t know if Wallaceburg is a typo or misprint or what, but I’ve found that the info in the “Great Lakes Ships…” series to be reliable. It would seem fitting that the upper works ended up near Harsen’s Island. It would have been close to Tashmoo Park……..
Well that is always possible as well. I will see if I can find more information on the possibility of the wheel house winding up down in Amherstburg. I remember a number of years ago being told something about the wheel house looking cottage when I was hanging out down at the river back when the “Calcite II” ran aground in the river right in front of my aunt and uncles house (former McQueen residence) My parents may still have pictures of that ship being stuck which may have included my mystery cottage.
An interesting historical question, what? I shot an e-mail off to the Wallaceburg & District Historical Museum. Wonder what the response will be…..
cool! i’m not sure why but i had searched and searched for pics of the tashmoo for the past 2 weeks collecting them on my computer lol. i honestly don’t know why. i’ve been reading some really great articles on her as well. guess she’s been in a couple races for tile of fastest excursion vessle on the lakes.
Aaron, she was apparenty quite the ship!
Doug, seeing as she ran aground at Amherstburg, it would seem more likely that’s where the pilot house ended up, espcially givien the link to the captain… Wallaceburg, given the reasons you stated does make sense, but that would have been a heck of a journey by land in 1936 for that hunk of steel…
agreed andrew! she just looked like she was ready for a race!
something about this: Captain McQueen intends to convert the structure into a summer cottage, only minor changes being necessary to accomplish this. The cottage will face out into the waters of the river and will remain a link with the past, for the Tashmoo plied these waters for almost 40 years.
tells me she stayed in a’burg. and i’m probly totally wrong, but i’m having a faint recolection of seeing something like this pilot house many-a-time on my way to mu aunts in willow beach as a kid. along front road i beleive just north of where the town actually begins. like i said….i’m probly way off.
Some comments on Tashmoo..having worked at McQueen Marine from the mid-50’s to the late 70’s, I heard some comments and stories from the older men that worked there. It was well before my time and since older employees have passed on, I am sure there are not too many men left that would have remembered where her pilot house ended up. As far as I know, McQueen had it sitting on the dock at the old McQueen yard, but not sure what happened to her after that. As far as the pilot house that was placed on a small island in front of the late Johnny Goodchilds house (Capt. Hackett’s house) that is not the pilot house off the Tashmoo. During the 1960’s, I was on the tug, “Amherstburg,” and we towed an old car ferry from Sarnia to drydock at Port Weller from Welland Canal. I believe it was the old Pere’ Marqette#14, which later became the car ferry St. Clair. She moved cars back and forth across the river between Sarnia and Port Huron. Anyway, John Goodchild purchased the old pilot house at the drydocks and had it loaded on the back of the tug, “Amherstburg,” and we brought it up to Amherstburg. He then had it set on a small island in the front of his house. Those houses, by the way, were Capt. McQueens, Capt. Penners, & Capt. Hacketts, all side by side. I had pictures of the pilot house sitting on the back of the ” Amherstburg” and they are presently in an album that has been on display at the “Marsh Collecction” in Amherstburg all summer. You might fined some good information at the “Marsh Collection” across from the Echo office in town. There was a McQueen display there all summer.
Capt. Morrison, thanks for the info!
Something interesting I read in a book this summer. When the Tashmoo ran aground near Belle Isle ,it made it back to A’burg. The salvage tug captain filled the hull with manure. The mamure swelled up in the water and pluged the hole.He then pumped out the water and towed it away.I will search my records for this artical.
Hello to all how have a love for the Tashmoo” my name is Craig Cantrell,
my grandfather & Grandmother Barny Miller, Lila Miller lived on the Tashmoo & worked
the old Girl. My father would ride his tricycle up and down the decks at the age of 5. My Uncle Loren Wilcox worked on her also. He was actually on the Tashmoo at the time that she started to go down. They were able to get her to the dock on the Canadian side of the Straits, where she then sunk and ended her journy. He was also there when they dismembered her.
If you would like to see a couple of the paintings that i did of the Tashmoo at
http://www.redbubble.com/people/cdcantrell
PS I’m do a piece of the tashmoo being dismantel of her uper decks’
I hope you all injoy the art work thank you Craig Cantrell.
Hello, my Great-Great Grandfather is A.A. Parker of the White Star Line, Detroit. I found a great book that has some of the missing information about the Tashmoo pilot house. According to Michael M. Dixon’s book “When Detroit Rode The Waves” (2003, Mervue Publications) the Tashmoo pilot house was purchased by Captain McKenty of Chatham, Ontario. Dixon states that the “Tashmoo Cottage” burned down on June 10, 1951
This one is for Capt. Morrison:….I just ran across this while I was checking up on the ” Atomic”. I lived in amherstburg in the early 50’s till 1955 right on dalhousie st..directly across from BoBlo Island.just down about 3 houses from Cap McQeens, Penner and Hacketts….I was on all three of the tugs ( Atomic, Aburg and Patricia McQueen ) at one time or another when they were docked at McQueen marine as a child because my father knew some of the guys there…i think he knew penner and hackett as by that time i think Cap mcQueen had passed away….but thing is that i remember that pilothouse being out there, now there are houses all along the river side of the street that were never there in early 50’s….So i also have a question that maybe Cap Morrison can answer for me…i read that william smith of amherstburg had purchased the Aburg in 1978 used it for a couple of years then sold it in 1980 …wondering if this is the son of former mayor murray smith of amherstburg ?…thanks Cap morrison for sharing, brings back alot of memories with the mention of those 3 captains names.
I need to make a slight correction here on my post….the pilothouse I mentioned remembering was actually viewed later on, as i made visits back and forth for years from detroit area, where we moved to in 1955…..also took me awhile here, but i think i now remembered capt hacketts name ( charles, now verified, after first post ) and capt penners name ( jake ? )…and yes, my father did know capt hackett.
M. Chanter, The tug captains on the “Atomic” were Capt. Jake Penner, 1946-1955,Capt. Angus Morrison, 1955-1962, and I took over after my Dad’s passing. Big shoes to fill when your 24. I worked mostly with my Dad during the 50’s.
Regarding Bill Smith. His father, indeed was mayor H.Murray Smith.And Bill did own the tug, A’burg for a couple of years, then sold her up into Georgian Bay, somewhere. The last I saw her, her name was the “Dawnlight” and she was sitting in Tobermory. When I first got my license in ’61, she was my first job pushing ships around Sarnia Harbour. Bill Smith use to come with me, a couple of times a year. (if we were short a wheelsman. I always like to have him, because he could steer and read the radar. I think he just wanted to get away from the quarry a while. Sorry I took so long in replying to you.
Just the round portion of the upper structure survived. It was placed on a man made islet. It was directly across from the Boblo Island dock. I went by it a million times growing up. I’d like to add a big THANK YOU to mayor hurst for allowing that side of the riverfront to be developed. Now, sadly, all you get are glimpses of the Detroit River due to the fact that every inch of property is covered with homes.
Does anyone know if there are any employee records from the McQeen Marine. My father worked in the 40’s on one of their barges and I was wondering if I could find his records. I am doing a genealogy research. His name is Ernest E Harris. He is deceased as of 1959.
Here is the story of the Tashmoo:
The Tashmoo had a trajic history. Old-timers thought her cursed and bound to come to a bad end because she was a sidewheeler with an Indian name.
One incident happened on Dec 27 1927, when one of the worst storms ever hit Detroit. 60 mph winds held back water from Lake St. Clair dropping the river by 4 feet. Tashmoo snapped her 14 heavy steel cables and was blown from her dock at Griswold Street smashing into the steamer Promise at the Woodward dock of the Detroit Belle Isle and Windsor Ferry Company. Visibility near zero, the Tashmoo seemed to disappear. Then the sound of her bashing into the Belle Isle Bridge rang out. Tugs arrived and struggled to get lines aboard. While nearing the Detroit Shipyard at Orleans Street, she snapped her hawsers and plunged upstream. Only 10 yards away from the Belle Isle Bridge, the tugs finally subdued her one last time.
August 3 1934, strong winds drove her hard aground on the Canadian shore opposite Tashmoo Park while returning to Detroit from Port Huron with 250 passengers. The Put-In-Bay was sent to the rescue and 150 of the passengers were transferred off the Tashmoo.
Tashmoo’s final blow came June 18 1936, shortly after midnight while on a private moonlight charter with the Pals Club of Hamtramck, Tashmoo struck a loose submerged rock in the narrow passage called Hole-In-The-Wall coming out of the Sugar Island Channel. The lights went out as the steamer shook. A hole was punched in her hull and water poured in faster than the pumps could handle. Jean Calloway and her orchestra kept playing and the 1400 passengers were unaware of any danger. Captain MacAlpine ordered “FULL SPEED AHEAD” in his attempt to make it to the Amherstburg shore. Ten minutes later, she was at the Brunner-Mond coal wharf. No one was injured and the passengers walked off the ship to the tune of “Old Man River” while the Tashmoo settled on the bottom in 18-20 feet of water. Passengers had to walk a few blocks to the Boblo dock to meet the Columbia called to return them to Detroit. The crowd was drunk and made quite a ruckus along the way. They built fires on the dock while waiting. During the salvage attempts the Tashmoo’s keel was irrepairably broken. Tashmoo was dismantled and her pilot house and a large portion of the deck below was purchased by Captain J. A. Mckenty, a tugboat captain from Chatham Ontario. He turned the cabin into a summer cottage at Mirwin’s Park near Chatham. On June 10, 1951 the cottage was destroyed by fire.
Captain C Morrison!
I just purchased the DAWNLIGHT in the fall of 2012. Had her hull inspected using the Travel Lift at Bay Port Marina in Midland. They did a great job and the inspection did well. I have lots of historical information on the DAWNLIGHT. I reconize Smith as being one of the owners before it was sold to Carol Baker and Mr. Chaney. I purchased the vessel from Ray Davis.
Feel free to contact me!
Dan Welsh
Dan Welsh,
It’s nice to know where she ended up. She was quite an old tug, in her day and I wish you all the success with her. As I have said before, she was my first skippers job. Mostly in Sarnia in 1962.She is what I call “low profile tug ” and made it nice working around the salt water vessels sterns and bow. We had a nickname for her back then. It was the “Windsplitter” maybe because she was so narrow. If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know. I live in St.Catharines. Cliff
My Grandfather Oromond (Ormy) Hamilton worked for Cap McQueen. Ormy’s father Henry (Harry) was a hard hat diver who some of you may recall from his well known photo taken while standing on the dock in Amherstburg in his full diving suit. I have the original photo and one of my cousins owns the suit.
Ormy had his own tug at one time, The Rook, which I also have the original photo of. The photo’s frame is made of wood, teak I think, that came from the handrail off the Tashmoo. I also have a coffee table made from the same handrail. My father made both, with my help of course!
I remember hearing many stories abut Jake Penner and the boys when I was young, but don’t recall details.
Some of my fondest memories are of sitting on the balcony of Ormy’s apartment across from what is now the Government dock and watching the freighters with him. He knew everything about every ship we saw, or so it seemed to a young lad. Where they were going, where they came from. What they had on. Pure fascination. Miss him dearly.
On the back of my photo of The Rook, dad recorded the date as being 1929 and the location as being “in front of the whisky dock 2 lots south of Duffy’s”. Apparently, by the ripe old age of 14, Ormy had had enough of rumrunning and retired to less dangerous work!
Anyway, I just stumbled across this website and enjoyed reading everyone’s posts and thought some of you may enjoy mine. Maybe some of you knew Ormy. If so, I’d love to hear about it.
All the best.
Bruce