"Well hello there land lovers! It is me, Jimmy and I'm trying to find my way home to Midland, Ontario and I need your help. Some time ago my ship wrecked and left me stranded here among the 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay. If you can answer the questions on this page and the page that follows you will find clues that will help me get back home. When you click on any of the pictures below you will you will be taken to another page to learn about the history of ship building in Midland, Ont ario.

Dobson's Drydocks and the original Boatworks were among the first boat building companies in Midland. Canoes, sailing boats and tugs were some of the first vessels built in Midland. Here is a picture of a ship in 'drydock'.
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At the end of the 19th century James Playfair came to Midland to make his fortune in the lumber industry. His interests turned to shipbuilding and in 1917 he started the Midland Shipbuilding Co. This company was once Midland's largest employer. Here is a picture of the employees of that company at the Midland Shipyards standing in front of a nearly completed steamer.

With the first World War came a demand for warships. The Midland Ship Building Company obtained a contract to build three ships: the War Fiend, War Magic and War Fury. The War Fury is pictured here. In all, sixteen ships were built in Midland for the British and Canadian Navys.

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This is a picture of the Gleneagles. She was a lake freighter built in Midland in 1925. The Gleneagles was one of a fleet of nearly 40 ships known as the Glen Line. All the ships of the Glen Line had the prefix Glen in their name. The Glenmhor was the last ship built for the Glen Line in 1926. She was the first super lake freighter built and was the largest ship on the lakes until 1948. The Glen Line and the Midland Shipbuilding Co. were taken over by Canada Steamship Lines in 1926.

Here is a picture of the launching of the Gordon C. Leitch. The launching of a ship was always and exciting event. Many people came down to the Midland docks to watch these enormous ships slide sideways into the water. Some people even stood on the deck of ship during the launching. The Gordon C. Leitch was one of the last ships built in Midland before the yards permanently closed down in 1957.
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What was the name of the first super lake freighter built in Midland in 1926?

a)Glenmullan

b)Penetanguishene

c)Glenmhor

Cool Links

The Lumber Industry

Railroads

Links Around the World

Steamships of Stockholm

Swedish Steamships

A collection of Marine Art

John's Nautical Links List

Further Reading and Bibliography

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Good quality copies of J.W. Bald's photo can be obtained from the Huronia Museum c/o Bill Smith 1-705-526-2844 or through the National Archives of Canada, just refer to the archive number at the bottom of each picture.