The Five Red River Boats – Part #1 The Paddlewheels

Five boats ruled the Red River from the late 1960s to 1990s. These five boats were the Paddlewheel Queen, the Paddlewheel Princess, M.S. River Rouge, M.S. Lady Winnipeg, and M.S. Lord Selkirk II.

All five of these boats sailed primarily on the Red River. The boats were packed and always profitable (except for the M.S. Lord Selkirk – stay tuned for part #2). Between the five boats they carried 1500 people per day at their peak in popularity. They were built to invoke nostalgia for the steamboats that floated down rivers throughout North America in the late 1800s. But even though these boats looked like old Mississippi River Steamboats, they were all newly constructed to order and weren’t powered by steam.

Paddlewheel Queen

The armada of river boats started with Raymond Senft, owner of Red River Construction. He was vacationing in Mexico in 1965 when he was inspired by the river cruises tourists took and decided to start his own river cruise company in Manitoba.

In 80 days the Paddlewheel Queen was constructed for 200 000$ by Ardian Ames. It was launched on July 29^th, 1965, from Selkirk. The boat was magnificent and the most stately of all the river boats that sailed the Red River. It was a sternwheeler ship, meaning that its paddlewheel was at the back, however that was just for cosmetics and it was actually powered by propellers and twin diesel engines. The boat was first 27 meters long, then extended to 43.5 meters long because of popularity. It carried its capacity load of 400 passengers from Redwood Bridge North in Winnipeg to just past the Perimeter Highway.

The Paddlewheel Queen hosted some notable people such as Princess Anne in 1968, Pierre Trudeau, Colonel Harland Sanders (of KFC), and Burton Cummings. The Paddlewheel Queen last sailed in 2013. It was dismantled in 2016 and converted to a barge for communities in Northern Manitoba.

Paddlewheel Princess

Motivated by the success of his Paddlewheel Queen Raymond Senft constructed the Paddlewheel Princess in 1966. Its maiden voyage was in July 1966. The Paddlewheel Princess was a smaller boat, originally with only one deck, which was expanded to two decks because of popularity. Its capacity was 200 people. The Paddlewheel Princess’ usual journey was from Lockport to Lower Fort Garry.

In 1969 stepbrothers Steve Hawchuck and Joe Slogan of Selkirk bought the two Paddlewheels from Senft. Hawchuk was a licensed Captain and often sailed the boats himself. Hawchuck sold the Paddlewheel Princess to a private buyer and it last sailed in 2009. It sat abandoned in Selkirk until a fire destroyed it in 2017 and was then sold for scrap.

Sailing on the Paddlewheels would have been a fun way to spend an evening with friends and family. They were decorated in bright red colours and retro décor. There was live music on the last cruise of every day. And on one occasion there was even professional wrestling on the top deck.

For more information on Marine history in Selkirk, visit the Marine Museum of Manitoba Marine Museum of Manitoba – Preserving Our Marine History