Identification & Site Information

  • Name: Annie Craig
  • Former Names: None recorded
  • Registration Number(s): Canada registry item #3273
  • Date Built & Launched: Built 1879 by David Foster, Port Burwell, Ontario; Rebuilt 1880 at Port Dover
  • Measurements: 40 net tons, passenger capacity ~300
  • Date Lost: August 3, 1885
  • Destroyed: Burned while moored
  • Location of Loss: Church Street Slip, Toronto Harbour, Ontario, Canada Google Maps

Vessel Type

Wooden-hulled screw Steamer, originally built as a Tug and converted to a passenger Ferry.

Description

The Annie Craig was constructed in 1879 for towing and general work duties on Lake Erie. In 1880, the vessel underwent substantial rebuilding to accommodate passenger service, allowing her to carry up to 300 passengers. She was modest in size, at 40 net tons, but provided essential Ferry service connecting Toronto’s downtown to emerging recreational zones along the Humber River.

History

Initially active on Lake Erie, the Annie Craig served briefly out of Port Dover. Notably, she transported the Governor General and entourage to the Long Point hunting grounds and intervened in an attempted illegal prizefight on Long Point beach in 1880.

By 1882, she had been acquired by the Humber Steam Ferry Company — a syndicate of Toronto hoteliers and brewer Eugene O’Keefe — to Ferry guests from downtown Toronto to hotels along the Humber River before the area was serviced by streetcars. The Annie Craig was pivotal in this new venture, running from the foot of Yonge Street with stops including the Exhibition Grounds and High Park.

Captain Fred Twitchell commanded the vessel during this period. He was fined under Ontario’s Sabbath laws for operating the Ferry on Sundays — highlighting ongoing tensions between commercial recreation and conservative legal frameworks of the time.

Her operational life was cut short by the massive Esplanade Fire of August 3, 1885, which engulfed several ships docked in Toronto Harbour. The Annie Craig burned to a Total Loss, along with many other vessels. The incident contributed to the end of the Humber Steam Ferry Company’s operations by July 1886.

Final Disposition

The Annie Craig was destroyed by fire in Toronto Harbour. No wreck remains submerged; her boilers were salvaged. She was not Rebuilt.

Located By & Date Found

Not applicable – no submerged wreck to be discovered.

NOTMARs & Advisories

No navigational warnings related to this vessel. The original site is now fully developed along Toronto’s modern waterfront and presents no hazard to navigation.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

The Annie Craig is remembered more for her place in Toronto’s evolving Ferry and leisure landscape than for the dramatic nature of her loss. She represents an era of experimentation with passenger services before mass transit lines developed. Her loss in the 1885 fire also contributed to greater scrutiny of fire safety on the Toronto waterfront.

Suggested Keywords, Categories and Glossary Terms

  • Keywords: Annie Craig, Humber Steam Ferry, Toronto maritime history, Church Street Slip, Esplanade Fire
  • Categories: 19th-century passenger steamers, Canadian shipwrecks, non-submerged wrecks
  • Glossary Terms:
    • Screw Steamer: A Steamship driven by a screw propeller.
    • Rebuild: A major reconstruction of a vessel’s structure or purpose.
    • Esplanade Fire: The 1885 fire in Toronto that destroyed numerous vessels and buildings.

This is not a shore dive site, as no remains of the vessel are present.