List of steamboats on the Yukon River

(Alaska, 1913–1927)

Canada #116621 (1927–1964)

Whitehorse, Yukon (superstructure)

WP&YR (superstructure)

(785, 1913–1927)

- Alaska was derived from the Aleut idiom alaxsx-a, which figuratively refers to mainland Alaska. Literally, it means object to which the action of the sea is directed.^[3][4]

- Named for Alice Levison (1873–1973), daughter of AC Co. president Lewis Gerstle.^[5]

- Named for Henry Maitland Kersey (1859–1941), managing director of the CD Co. Kersey was from Suffolk, in East Anglia, England.

- Named for Arnold L. Liebes (1889–1957), son of AE Co. president Isaac Liebes.^[5]

- Most likely, named for the Victoria, Australia gold rush of 1851.^[8]

- Named for Hannah Isabelle "Bella" Lilienthal (1856–1923), daughter of AC Co. general manager Louis Sloss.^[5][9]

(Gov. Pingree, 1898–1900)

Canada #107851 (1900–1955)

(hull #1)

- Named for Nels Peterson (1850–1939), successful Bonanza Creek miner and owner of the Yukon Flyer Line.^[10]

- Originally named for Hazen S. Pingree (1840-1901), governor of Michigan, 1897-1901.^[11]

- Most likely, named for the British Columbia, Canada gold rushes of 1850 and 1861.^[8]

(hull #1)

- Kaska may have originated as a Tahltan term, which means old moccasins, and which was a scornful name for the Kaska tribe.^[12]

- Kaska may have originated as a Tahltan term, which means old moccasins, and which was a scornful name for the Kaska tribe.^[12]

- Kaska may have originated as a Tahltan term, which means old moccasins, and which was a scornful name for the Kaska tribe.^[12]

(hull #3)

- Named for Charles H. Hamilton (1872–1929), manager of the NAT&T Co.^[5][13]

- Most likely, named for the (British) Columbia, Canada gold rushes of 1850 and 1861.^[8]

(hull #23)

- Named for David R. Campbell (1830–1911), a Maine wool manufacturer who financed the SYT Co.^[14]

- Named for John "Jack" Dalton (1856–1944), Alaskan packer.^[15][16]

(hull #24)

- Named for Frederick K. Gustin (1856–1937), Chicago, Illinois lawyer, and secretary and treasurer of the SYT Co.^[17]

- A gleaner is one who gathers a crop after it is reaped.^[18]

- Named for Charles Sumner Hamlin (1861–1938), U.S. delegate to the 1897 Anglo-American fur seal fishing convention.

- Boat named for Hannah Gerstle (1838–1930), wife of AC Co. president Lewis Gerstle.^[5][19]

- Named for Herman Liebes (1842–1898), head of the AE Co.^[5]

(Rideout, 1898–1905)

Canada #107855 (1900–1905)

- Originally named for Walter R. Rideout (1867–1926), president of CYT Co.

- Named for Isabelle Cleary Barnette (1875–1942), wife of E.T.^[13]

Canada #107860 (1900–1905)

(hull #22)

- Named for Joseph P. Light (1846–1922), vice president of the Seattle-Yukon Transportation Co.^[21]

Canada #107853 (1899–1902)

- Named for Capt. John C. Barr (1844–1925), of the NAT&T Co.^[5][13][19]

(hull #14)

- Named for John Cudahy (1843–1915), Chicago merchant and director of NAT&T Co.^[5][13]

- Named for Joseph Clossett (1845–1915), of Portland, Oregon.

- Named for Julia M. Burrichter (1871–1933), wife of YT&T Co. owner Frank J. Burrichter.^[23]

- Keno was ultimately derived from a French term which means five winning numbers; a game of chance. The boat was immediately named for the Keno claim, staked in 1919 by Alfred Kirk Schellinger.^[15]

- Klondike was derived from the Hän idiom Tr'o Ndek, which figuratively means hammer river.^{[4][15][16][24]} Literally, it means Chinook (King) Salmon River.^[25][26] The reason for the figurative meaning is that hammers had been used to erect fishing weirs in the Klondike River, in order to catch the Chinook salmon.^{[4][15][16][24]}

- Klondike was derived from the Hän idiom Tr'o Ndek, which figuratively means hammer river.^{[4][15][16][24]} Literally, it means Chinook (King) Salmon River.^[25][26] The reason for the figurative meaning is that hammers had been used to erect fishing weirs in the Klondike River, in order to catch the Chinook salmon.^{[4][15][16][24]}

(hull #13)

- Klondyke was derived from the Hän idiom Tr'o Ndek, which figuratively means hammer river.^{[4][15][16][24]} Literally, it means Chinook (King) Salmon River.^[25][26] The reason for the figurative meaning is that hammers had been used to erect fishing weirs in the Klondike River, in order to catch the Chinook salmon.^{[4][15][16][24]}

- Named for Edmond "Edward" LaFrance (1861–1908), Winnipeg butcher, Yukon cattle dealer.^[27]

- Named for Lavelle Gilbert, née Young (1896–1994), granddaughter of Charles W. Young, a prominent shipper on the Columbia River.

- Named for Leon Liebes (1886–1951), son of AE Co. president Isaac Liebes.^[5]

- Named for Linda Liebes Lederman (1884–1964), daughter of AE Co. president Isaac Liebes.^[5]

- Named for Louisa Greenewald (1836–1917), wife of AC Co. official Simon Greenewald.^[5]

- Named for Martin L. Washburn (1854–1911), general manager of the NN Co.^[9]

- Named for Margaret Stern, née Wilson (1895–1973), daughter of AC Co. superintendent James M. Wilson.^[5]

Canada #107839 (1900–1928)

(hull #30)

- Named for Mary F. Burleigh, née Graff (1874–1962, m. 1898), wife of entrepreneur Andrew F. Burleigh. In 1897, Andrew Burleigh had contracted with Moran to build the Graff and 11 other steamers (hull ##22-33). The contract was part of a scheme to build a railroad from Haines, Alaska to Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River.^[29] But, by the time that the 12 Moran-built steamers were completed, Burleigh no longer had an interest in them or the Haines-Yukon railroad scheme.^[13]

- Named for Richard G. McConnell (1856–1942), the Yukon's foremost geological explorer.^[15]

(Not to be confused with Monarch, Canada #107863, not owned by WP&YR: see below.)

(2nd Prospector in 1912 only)

(405, 1912–1937)

(115 feet (35.1 m), 1912–1937)

- Nasutlin was a loanword used by the Tagish Indians.^[30] Its origin was neither Tagish nor Tlingit.^[31] (The original Tlingit name for the Nisutlin River had been Héen Tlein [Big River].^[32]) The name Nasutlin was borrowed from the Southern Tutchone nàsät-lį, which means strong flow.^[33]

superstructure: North American Transportation & Trading Co.

- Named for the Northern Commercial Co., an affiliate of the Northern Navigation Co.^[9]

(hull #33)

(hull #31)

- Named for Portus B. Weare (1842–1909), chairman of the NAT&T Co.^{[5][13][19][34]}

- Named for the prospectors that it served.

- Named after Ft. Reliance, Yukon.^[15][16]

- Named for Stephen S. Bailey (1845–1925), Spokane, Washington, businessman.^[27]

(hull #28)

- Village of St. Michael, Alaska named for Vice Admiral Mikhail D. Tebenkov (1802–1872), governor of Russian America.^[16][34][35]

- Named for Sarah Sloss (1836–1920), wife of AC Co. general manager Louis Sloss.^[5][9][19]

- Named for Scotia Bay. Scotia Bay had probably been named in 1898 for Nova Scotia, by prospector Kenneth C. McLaren (1867-1931), who had come from Nova Scotia.^[36]

(hull #25)

(hull #10)

- Named for Suzanne Niebaum (1851–1936), wife of AC Co. vice president Capt. Gustave F. Niebaum.^[5][9][19]

(622, 1898–1901)

(101 feet (30.8 m), 1898–1901)

(hull #17)

(hull #26)

- Tanana derived from the Lower Tanana phrase tene no’, which is not the name of the Tanana River, but is the name of the village. Means river trail.^[4][16][37]

- Named for Thistle Creek, site of minor gold excitement in 1898.^[27]

- Tutshi was derived from the Tlingit metaphor t’ooch’ áayi,^[38] which literally means charcoal lake,^[39] and figuratively means dark lake.^[40] Tutshi Lake is darker than most lakes in the region because it is not fed by glacial runoff.

(hull #27)

- Most likely, named for the Victoria, Australia gold rush of 1851.^[8]

(May West, 1897–1902; Scout, 1902–1903)

Canada #107869 (1902–1917)

(134, 1897–1911)

(96 feet (29.3 m), 1897–1911)

- Originally named for Anna May Richardson, née West (1862–1939), wife of Payson C., Sr. Vidette is a misspelling of vedette, which is a mounted sentinel in advance of an army for observing enemy activities.

- Named after Kotik, a character in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

(White Horse, 1901–1930)

(986, 1901–1930)

(167 feet (50.9 m), 1901–1930)

- White Horse was an early spelling of Whitehorse; refers to appearance of rapids in Yukon River.^[15][16]

Canada #107864 (1900–1906)

- Named for Exilona L. Wilbur (1845–1920) and John D. Crimmin, Sr. (1835–1906), parents of John D., Jr.

- Named for William H. Isom (1828–1929), vice president of the NAT&T Co.^[13]

Whitehorse, Yukon (superstructure)

WP&YR (superstructure)

- The name Yukon, or ųųg han, is a contraction of the words in the Gwichʼin phrase chųų gąįį han, which mean white water river and which refer to "the pale colour" of glacial runoff in the Yukon River.^[42][43] The contraction is Ųųg Han, if the \ųų\ remains nasalized, or Yuk Han, if there is no vowel nasalization.^[44] In the 1840s, different tribes had different opinions as to the literal meaning of Yukon. In 1843, the Holikachuks had told the Russian-American Company that their name for the river was Yukkhana and that this name meant "big river."^[45] However, Yukkhana does not literally correspond to a Holikachuk phrase that means big river.^[46][47] Then, two years later, the Gwichʼins told the Hudson's Bay Company that their name for the river was Yukon and that the name meant white water river.^[42] White water river in fact corresponds to Gwichʼin words that can be shortened to form Yukon.^[43] Because the Holikachuks had been trading regularly with both the Gwichʼins and the Yup'iks,^[48] the Holikachuks were in a position to borrow the Gwichʼin contraction and to conflate its meaning with the meaning of Kuig-pak [River-big], which is the Yup'ik name for the same river. For that reason, the documentary evidence suggests that the Holikachuks had borrowed the contraction Ųųg Han [White Water River] from Gwichʼin, and erroneously assumed that this contraction had the same literal meaning as the corresponding Yup'ik name Kuig-pak [River-big].

- For remarks relating to the name Yukon, see, Remarks for 2nd Yukon, U.S.A. #165172, above.

(Reaper in 1900 only^[18])

- Most likely, named for the Otago, New Zealand gold rush of 1864.^[8]

- If Mr. Bradley was from the same city as the Dusty Diamond Corp. (Chicago), then he would have been Charles Hodgson Bradley (1850–1924), Chief Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, and a prominent city politician.^[50]

Bennett, British Columbia (superstructure)

Canadian Development Co. (superstructure)

- Most likely, named for the Beaconsfield, Tasmania gold rush of 1877.^[8]

- Torpedo catcher is a reference to the slow speed of the boat.^[52]

- Donjek was derived from the Northern Tutchone phrase dan jík, which means silverberry.^[53]

- Named for Hazel Barrington (1877–1954), wife of SSN Co. president, Capt. Sydney C. Barrington.^[41]

- Keno was derived from a French term which means five winning numbers; a game of chance. The boat was ultimately named for the Keno claim, staked in 1919 by Alfred Kirk Schellinger.^[15]

- Kotlik was derived from the Yup'ik metaphor qerrullik,^[38] which literally means a pair of pants, and figuratively refers to a fork in the river.^[4][54]

- Named after Norgold Mines, Ltd.

- Shushanna was derived from the Ahtna phrase tsetsaan’ na’, which means copper creek. Not a reference to the Copper River.^[55]

(Sybilla, 1913–1914)

- Sibilla had been the name of the yacht on which the financier of the WP&YR, namely William B. Close, spent much of his youth.^[56] The White Pass & Yukon Ry. Directors' Report to the 30th June 1914 reported the name to be Sybilla, an incorrect spelling of Sibilla. A copy of this report undoubtedly went to Mr. Close. The spelling was corrected shortly thereafter.

- Sibilla had been the name of the yacht on which the financier of the WP&YR, namely William B. Close, spent much of his youth.^[56]

(Olof in 1913 only)

- Boat renamed in 1913 for Hock “Splotus” Dennis (1878-1917), cook for the Barrington brothers, from 1906 to 1916.^[41]

(177, 1917–1928)

(78 feet, 1917–1928)

- "Tarahne" was directly derived from Tarahini, which was the name of a little creek at Atlin. The name Tarahini was suggested to the ship's carpenter by Chief Taku Jack (John Jack, Sr.). Previously, Tarahini had been derived from the Tlingit phrase té yaa .aa hini, which means stream sitting along rock.^[57] Tarahini had been derived by eliminating yaa and by substituting the English \ra\ sound for the Tlingit aspirated \.aa\ sound. Thus, all vocal sounds in Tarahini occur in English.^[1] The reason for the subsequent change from Tarahini to "Tarahne" is not known.

Bennett, British Columbia (superstructure)

Canadian Development Co. (superstructure)

- Most likely, named for the Beaconsfield, Tasmania gold rush of 1877.^[8]

(Rapid, 1908–1909)

- Tyee a is Chinook Jargon term, which means chief.^[4][16][34]

- "Wahpoo" was the nickname of WP&YR Traffic Manager Albert F. Zipf (1873–1936), derived from a Yup'ik phrase, which means to shout or to scream.^[58]

U.K. #198983 (1966–1969); Liberia #3412 (1969–1975)

(hull #265)

- Named for Clifford J. Rogers (1887–1970), WP&YR president.^[19][60]

Russia #M-44845 (1993–1997); IMO6514170

(hull #284)

- Named for Frank H. Brown (1894–1975), WP&YR president.^[62]

IMO6912449

(hull #294)

- Klondike was derived from the Hän idiom Tr'o Ndek, which figuratively means hammer river.^{[4][15][16][24]} Literally, it means Chinook (King) Salmon River.^[25][26] The reason for the figurative meaning is that hammers had been used to erect fishing weirs in the Klondike River, in order to catch the Chinook salmon.^{[4][15][16][24]}

- Named for Louisa J. Boyce (1857–1936), Lynton's mother; and Annie Glew Arnell (1863–1959), Lynton's mother-in-law.

(Kestrel, 1920–1921)

Canada #116619 (1922–1960)

(93, 1922–1942; 53, 1920–1922)

64 feet (1920–1922)

- Neecheah was derived from the Tlingit phrase neech yeil’, which means calm shoreline.^[63] This name appears to be a Tlingit language description of the Yukon River just downstream of Whitehorse Rapids,^[64] which is grammatically correct, but does not pre-date 1900. Neecheah [Neech Yeil’] appears to be a short Tlingit language description of Whitehorse that was created in 1922 to name the boat.^[65] Prior to October 1899, Whitehorse itself had not existed, and there had been no reason for the Indians to give its future location a name.

- For remarks relating to the name Yukon, see, Remarks for 2nd Yukon, U.S.A. #165172, above.