Frontenac was a steamboat

Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

, the first paddle steamer

Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...

 launched 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...

, in 1817.

Built in Ernesttown, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 contractors for Kingston

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

 businessmen during 1816 at a cost of ₤15,000, she entered service in spring 1817. Frontenac conducted regular runs across Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 between Kingston, York (now Toronto), and Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...

, but rarely managed to make money in eight years; the provincial population was simply too small.

Frontenac was sold for ₤1550 to John Hamilton

John Hamilton

- Nobility :*John Hamilton of Cadzow, 4th Laird of Cadzow Scottish nobleman and soldier*John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton , Scottish nobleman*John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Bargany - Nobility :*John Hamilton of Cadzow, 4th Laird of Cadzow (before 1370 – c. 1402) Scottish nobleman and soldier*John...

 in 1824, who persisted two more unsuccessful years before selling her for scrap at Niagara in 1827. Before she could be scrapped, she burned to the waterline due to arson

Arson

Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

.

Sources

• Lewis, Walter. "Frontenac", in The Canadian Encyclopedia, Volume 2, p.850. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1988.