Historic Toronto ferry Trillium has been
towed away, and its fate is up in the air
TORONTO, ON – A piece of Toronto’s history was towed away by tugboat to Hamilton last Tuesday, after a century spent ferrying millions of people, including, it is said, baseball legend Babe Ruth, to and from the islands.
The long-term future of the Trillium is under review, according to the city, and it has been temporarily relocated to a shipyard while construction takes place at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to prepare for new electric ferries.
The life jackets remain on board. The ship’s bell, signage and small museum pieces have been moved to a secure location.
“The long-term future of the vessel is still under review,” according to a statement from the media department, in response to questions from the Star. “City staff are currently analyzing options, and we are committed to keeping the public informed as decisions are made.”
The public wasn’t informed in advance that the vessel would be moved on Sept. 9. It’s not clear what exactly the options are. “It’s really tough to read between the lines of their statement,” said Chris Bateman, of Heritage Toronto.
The Trillium was launched with little fanfare in June 1910, earning one paragraph in the Toronto Star, on an inside page filled with ads for silver tea sets, talcum powder and dentifrice.
The last time the Trillium was towed away, in 1957, when passenger traffic to the islands hit a lull, it was decommissioned and left to rot in a Toronto island lagoon. It was picked clean for parts and it sank — by the 1970s canoeists could paddle through it. A group of concerned citizens drove a campaign to get it restored.
The Trillium was repaired, its coal-fired boiler replaced with a diesel-powered one, for $1 million. It returned to service in 1976. Its sister, the Bluebell, became a garbage scow and later sank as part of the Leslie Spit, where it lies today, said Bateman. Both the Trillium and the Bluebell were manufactured in Toronto.
Until it stopped operating in August 2023, the Trillium was the last side-paddle ferry still plying the Great Lakes.
Tall, white and blue, on its last trips, it moved cautiously — even regally — through the water. Passengers marveled at the brass machinery that drove the paddles, loud and effortful, distinctly like the age of the Industrial Revolution that spawned the steam engine that originally powered the Trillium, and so unlike this whisper-quiet age of technology, where all is muted and effort concealed.
In her dotage, the Trillium could not be rushed.
In operation it had an energy beyond the liquid fuel that powered it. The paddlewheels in motion spun back time to the mustachioed men and corseted women passengers of the 1910s, escaping the oppressive heat of the city before residential air conditioning; poorer families with packets of children riding on free tickets from philanthropists; and professional baseball players in flannel pullover jerseys heading to Hanlan’s Point Stadium. Babe Ruth played there.
“Everybody loved it,” said retired Capt. Brian Smith, who was a first mate on the vessel. There are photos in his family of his great-grandparents on the Trillium.
He said when the Trillium was put back into service in the 1970s, people would get out of line for the other ferries and line up for the Trillium.
The crew loved working on it, too. “It was such an ungainly vessel because it was like a bowl, there was no keel,” said Smith. “The way you had to manoeuvre it, the way you had to drive it — it was different, and it was a real challenge. And I loved it.
“We used to scrape it and paint it every year, every spring, and lovingly, compared to the other ones. The guys really, really took care of it.
“But the brass, oh Lord, I never polished so much brass in my whole life. Everything was brass. And it was a lot of work, but it was worth it, because it was such a lovely old boat.”
If the boat can’t be repaired, Smith would like to see it become a maritime museum, at the foot of Yonge Street. Ideally, though, it can be brought back to serve its original purpose, if only occasionally.
“It’s always preferable to keep something like that in use, doing its purpose, the thing it’s designed to do, rather than making it a museum piece,” said Bateman.
The new ferries, being fabricated in Romania, will operate on electricity, quietly.
Toronto Star
Detroit Historical Society hosts several events for 50th anniversary of Edmund Fitzgerald sinking
By: Max White
(WXYZ) — The Detroit Historical Society is hosting a full weekend of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
According to the society, the activities all take place at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, and will kick off on Friday, Nov. 7, with a talk by author Thomas Nelson, who wrote the book “WRECKED: the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy.”
On Saturday, Nov. 8, curators and docents will host drop-in tours of the Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit on the lower level of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Also, the Great Lakes Maritime Institute will be there for information and merchandise.
Also on Saturday, the Livonia Amateur Radio Club will be in DeRoy Hall for the Edmund Fitzgerald radio broadcast, and a new pop-up exhibit will debut.
Sunday morning, the museum will host its first-ever Maritime Brunch, which will feature a chef-prepared meal directly from the Edmund Fitzgerald’s on-ship menu, along with a video presentation from Ship-to-Shore Chef Catherine Schmuck.
During the brunch, a new film will premiere about the Edmund Fitzgerald with experts from around the Great Lakes. Tickets for the brunch are available now.
Finally, on Monday, the society will host its 26th annual Lost Mariner’s Remembrance, which is a tribute to the sailors who were lost on the Great Lakes. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and begins with a lantern vigil at the Fitzgerald’s bow setting. Officials say the event sells out every year, and tickets are available now.
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Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners
TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”
Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
- Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
- Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
- Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH
Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.
Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:
- Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
- Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9
Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.
Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals
DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com
The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD
2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips
Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg
