Chloe Dennis is Exhibitions and Collections Manager for the Bytown Museum.

After the completion of the Rideau Canal, it was actively used by transport steamers until the 1870s when a rail line between Ottawa and Kingston was introduced. The Rideau Canal then began to be used more for passenger traffic in the 1880s, and took off exponentially at the turn of the century. It quickly became the central tourism destination and attraction for this area during the summer.

Luxury passenger steamboats were introduced by Daniel Noonan and the Rideau Lakes Navigation Company to serve this new industry; the Rideau Belle was the first in 1885 and the Rideau Queen in 1900.

The Rideau Queen was a large steamboat with lavish interiors serving 300 passengers on its journey between Kingston and Ottawa that took less than a day. The steamboat made stops along the way and attracted spectators as it went on. It ran from June to September, leaving Kingston on Monday and Thursday. The fare was $5 for a return trip, or $3 for one way. Riders could purchase meals for 50 cents, and reserve rooms between $1 and $5.

The First World War brought changes to the steam travel industry, and the Rideau Queen stopped its route in 1915 and was used for freight service until 1933.

Andrew King tells us more about lost luxury steamboats of the Rideau Canal: https://ottawarewind.com/2025/04/16/steamships/