The Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Service, also known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Steamships, was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 (CPR) which began operating passenger and cargo shipping routes in the Great Lakes during the late 19th century.

CPR overview

In 1884, CPR began purchasing sailing ships as part of a railway supply service on the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

. Over time, CPR became a railroad company with widely organized water transportation auxiliaries including the CPR Upper Lake Service, the trans-Pacific service, the British Columbia Coast Steamships

Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service

The Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service, also known as the British Columbia Coast Steamships , was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway which began operating Pacific coastal shipping routes in the late 19th century...

, the British Columbia Lake and River Service

Canadian Pacific Railway Lake and River Service

The Canadian Pacific River Lake and River Service, also known as the British Columbia Lake and River Service, was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway which began operating passenger and cargo shipping routes along British Columbia's inland waters during the late 19th century.-CPR overview:In...

, the trans-Atlantic service, and the Ferry service. In the 20th century, the company evolved into a transcontinental railroad which operated two transoceanic services which connected Canada with Europe and with Asia. The range of CPR services were aspects of a integrated plan.

Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Steamships

CPR's investment in the Great Lakes produced expanded routes and schedules. The inland waters fleet and personnel increased. The decision to expand produced an infrastructure building program. The evolution of the upper lakes service was integrated into CPR's rail service network with trans-Pacific connections.

Inland fleet

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY UPPER LAKE FLEET
Active Service	Vessel Name	Launch Date	Maiden Voyage	Other Names	Notes	Loss Date
1883	SS Algoma SS Algoma The Algoma was a steamer built in 1883; it was sunk off the shore of Mott Island near Isle Royale in Lake Superior in 1885 and the remains are still on the lake bottom...	1883	1883		Lost in a storm on the southern shore of Isle Royal in a storm with the loss of 37 lives. Engines & Boilers reused in the SS Manitoba.	1885
1883	SS Alberta	1883	1883			1947
1883	SS Athabasca	1883	1883		misspelled in the register 1883-1910, always spelled with a 'C' on the ship	1948
1889	SS Manitoba	1889	1889			1950
1907	SS Assiniboia	1907	1907			1970
1907	SS Keewatin SS Keewatin The SS Keewatin is a passenger liner that once sailed between Port Arthur / Fort William and Port McNicoll in Ontario, Canada. She carried passengers between these ports for the Canadian Pacific Railway's Great Lakes Steamship Service...	1907	1907		converted as museum ship at Douglas, Michigan