Walk-in-the-Water

The Walk-in-the-Water was the first steamship built and operated on the Great Lakes. She was 135 feet long, had a beam of 32 feet, an eight foot draft, and displaced 338 tons. As a bow figurehead, she carried a likeness of Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie. "Walk-in-the-Water" was the name of an Indian warrior who commanded an attack at the Battle of Fort Meigs during the War of 1812.

Built in 1818 at Black Rock, New York, the ship was owned by the Lake Erie Steamboat Company. Her regular schedule ran from Buffalo to Detroit with stops at Erie and Cleveland. She operated on Lake Erie for three seasons until being wrecked on November 1, 1821, near Point Algino near Buffalo.

Like most early steamships, the Walk-in-the-Water was a sailing vessel with steam-powered side paddle-wheels installed as additional power. She had two high masts and was square-rigged. The boiler and stack stood amidships just aft of the forward mast. The paddle wheels were placed exactly amidships.

Passenger accommodations were all below decks. Like all transportation accommodations at the time, quarters were segregated by gender, the women's cabins located forward. Men's quarters adjoined the dining room. A male-only smoking room adjoined the baggage compartment aft.

For signaling the Walk-in-the-Water used a small cannon as the steam whistle had not yet been invented. The captain customarily fired a shot just before docking and just after departure.

First Voyage
The first voyage of the Walk-in-the-Water was started on Agust 23, 1818. To master the swift current of the Niagara River, the ship was towed by a team of 20 oxen upriver to Lake Erie. The first voyage booked twenty-nine passengers. The ship arrived in Detroit three days later after stops in Erie and Cleveland.

Operations
Normal operations began in 1818. The fare was $8.00 to Erie, $15.00 to Cleveland, and $24.00 to Detroit.

In June of 1820, the Walk-in-the-Water made an excursion to Mackinac Island making it the first steamship on Lake Huron. The following August, the ship made a return to Mackinac and continued on to Green Bay, making it also the first steamship to travel on Lake Michigan.

Wreck
On October 31, 1821, the ship left Buffalo on its normal cruise. By the evening, a November Great Lakes storm blew up. The ship began taking on water and turned about for Buffalo. With its sails down and its wheels unable to stay in the water as the ship pitched in the swells, the ship could make little headway. She let go an anchor and began dragging it. She ran aground south of Buffalo. All passengers and crew were rescued but the ship was a loss. Furniture, equipment, and the boilers were salvaged. The engine was again used in the Superior built in 1822, which took up the Walk-in-the-Water's schedule.

Source
"Walk-in-the-Water," Kellys Island Historical Association, 2009.

An unreferenced article by Captain Hamilton.