The Five Red River Boats – Part #2 The Motor Ships

Inspired by the craze for the Paddlewheel boats competitors quickly had other river boats made. These three boats were all motorships, and bore the name M.S. River Rouge, M.S. Lady Winnipeg, and M.S. Lord Selkirk II.

M.S. River Rouge

The competition for the two Paddlewheel boats was started by an ex-employee, Dan Ritchie. He was hired to handle food on the Paddlewheels but quickly quit.

Ritchie had the M.S. River Rouge built in 1966 for 500 000$ and it first set sail in 1967. It was 37.5 meters long and like its competitor, the Paddlewheel Queen, had a capacity of 400 people. These two large boats sailed the same route from Redwood Bridge North in Winnipeg, to north of the Perimeter Highway.

While the Paddlewheels were refined yet family friendly, the River Rouge was sophisticated. There was a dress code – people couldn’t board if they were wearing jeans. There were even oil paintings and Leo Mol statues throughout the boat.

In 1971 Princess Margaret took a cruise on the River Rouge. Ahead of her visit an extra area was constructed on the boat, called the “Princess Margaret State Room”.

M.S. Lady Winnipeg

Ritchie had the M.S. Lady Winnipeg built in 1971 to compete with the smaller Paddlewheel Princess. It first sailed in spring 1972, and had the same route as the Paddlewheel Princess, sailing from Lockport to Lower Fort Garry.

Ritchie, with his two boats, and Hawchuck and Slogan, with their two Paddlewheels, were fiercely competitive in the 1970s. They would bribe hotel staff to only advertise their river cruises, had constant price wars, and they all even bought double-decker buses from England to take people from hotel to the boats.

Ritchie sold both of his boats to Jack Weiman in 1986. Hawchuck and Slogan rented the Lady Winnipeg and River Rouge in 1991 and bought them in 1993. The River Rouge was sold again in 2006 and sporadically sailed with public until 2014. From 2014 to 2022 it was abandoned in a Selkirk slough. The Lady Winnipeg last sailed in 1993 due to a lack of business. It was bought by a private Selkirk buyer in 2002 and continues to operate as a private yacht.

M.S. Lord Selkirk II

The Lord Selkirk II was the largest cruise ship in Western Canada when it was in operation. While the four other boats were strictly river boats, this one also sailed on Lake Winnipeg. It was financed by Dr. Kenneth Mackenzie of Selkirk. Construction started in 1967 but its maiden journey wasn’t until June 9^th, 1969, from Selkirk.

The Lord Selkirk II was built to sail the Red River and Lake Winnipeg either as day excursions with 400 people or overnight and weekend cruises with 130 people. It had a crew of 30 to 40 people. The boat’s most famous guest was Queen Elizabeth II in 1970. Princess Anne also sailed on the Lord Selkirk II in 1982 to celebrate the City of Selkirk’s Centennial.

The boat tanked as an enterprise from the very beginning. It was sold to various people over the years and eventually was abandoned at a Selkirk slough in 1990. It was dismantled in 2015.

While the river boats were wildly popular in the 1970s business steadily fell until it plummeted in the 2000s. Many of the people who enjoyed the river cruises were Americans, and after 9/11 they didn’t cross the border as frequently.

Climate change also affected the boats. Since 1993 the Red River has been higher and more dangerous, and the boats often had to shorten their season due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

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