 to Sarnia, which remained her home port until her
Noronic at port in Detroit.
The Queen of the Lakes
Noronic had an impressive pose when docked, as she towered over
the land by five decks. In her glory days, she epitomized the ultimate
in Great Lakes cruising the likes of which we shall never
Noronic was one of the finest ships ever to sail on the Great Lakes.
First-time passengers marvelled at her great dining room, the length
of her promenade decks, the curving sweep of her carved staircases,
her teak, cherry and oak walls, the pampered comfort of her staterooms.
Noronic was known on both shores as The Queen of the Inland
Seas. In the early days, she seldom sailed without a band
leaving Detroit on her northern route, she headed to Point Edward
and an eight-hour layover while she took on supplies. For onshore
entertainment, passengers were ferried to Canatara Park, where they
were served a sumptuous lunch by shipboard waiters and waitresses,
complete with white linen tablecloths, shining silverware, and chilled
outstanding feature was the great dining hall, offering a panoramic
view through giant floor-to-ceiling windows and fresh-cut flowers
on each table. The ships cuisine was equal to the great restaurants
of the day.
observation lounge on B deck included large windows and over-stuffed
leather chairs. At night, it was converted into a ballroom, and
the ships resident orchestra provided live music for dancing.
games, euchre tournaments, gala costume balls, writing rooms, a
full library, a music room, buffet bars, souvenir stands, supervised
playroom for children, barber shop and beauty parlour kept the patrons
busy. Passengers were provided with a daily newspaper-printed on
Noronic plied the waterways between Canada and the United States
for years, as did her sister ships, the SS Huronic and the SS Hamonic.
As if a harbinger of things to come, the Hamonic caught fire in
1945. The dock itself was on fire and the crew were unable to build
up enough steam to get her out of harms way before the ship
caught fire. Fortunately, since the fire was on the dock, passengers
and crew had fair warning and were able to escape. Only one fatality
was suffered in that event.
1949, the Noronic was 36 years old, yet still considered the finest
and largest ship of her kind afloat on the Great Lakes. She had
never once been in dire peril from the weather, nor did she ever
once call for assistance while cruising the lakes.
Cruising the Inner Seas
one time there were more people asleep on boats on the Great Lakes
than on any ocean in the world.
J. Wolf, 1909-1987
the early 20th Century, lake travel had become primarily a means
of pleasure. Dozens of luxuriously equipped vessels plied the waters
of the great inland seas, offering everything from one-day
excursions to two-week cruises.
nearly 100 years, from the early 1800s, packet boats with a dual
freight and passenger role were the predominant mode of transportation
within the region. However, as vessels grew in size, and iron hulls
and steam power advanced in sophistication, the demand grew for
ships that were in fact floating hotels rather than freight boats.
became quite luxurious rivalling the quality of accommodation
on the great ocean liners of the day. Overnight cruising also came
into its own, and by the 20s and 30s, there were many
lines offering ships with all levels of accommodation.
Chicago, Duluth and Georgian Bay Transit Company operated two well
known vessels, the North American and South American
that offered 7-day cruises between Detroit and Duluth or Detroit,
Montreal and the Saguenay. The South Americans last voyage,
after 50 years service, was in 1967, to the Montreal Exposition.
Steamship Lines offered service from Detroit to Montreal and the
Saguenay Fjord, with service to Toronto and other lake ports with
their three ships the Noronic, Hamonic and
Huronic. Canadian Pacific connected their rail heads
with a cruise on either the Assiniboia or the Keewatin
between Port McNicoll and Thunder Bay.
the coming of steam, fire dangers were greatly increased and numerous
trage