Steamboat in the Lachine Rapids, Montreal, Quebec, circa 1907

Subjects: Ships & Boats Steamboats & Riverboats
Card type: Printed photo
Date: c. 1907 (Golden Age)

Back of Steamboat in the Lachine Rapids, Montreal, Quebec, circa 1907, c. 1907 printed photo postcard — Back

About this postcard

A small steamer works through the Lachine Rapids on the St. Lawrence River, shown in side view with its tall smokestack, pilot house, and long open deck where passengers stand at the rail. The boat sits low in the broken water under a blank sky, and the coarse halftone screen is tinted pink above and aqua below. The rapids upstream of Montreal were the chief obstacle on the river route toward the Great Lakes, and by the early 1900s a run through them in a steamer was a standard excursion, with pilots steering boats through the standing waves for passengers who came out to watch the water. The card's printed description names the Lachine Rapids, which fixes the water and the vessel's run even though the front carries no caption.

Postcard Details

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POST CARD THIS SPACE FOR CORRESPONDENCE FOR ADDRESS ONLY PUT ONE-CENT STAMP HERE Lachine Rapids.—Lachine Rapids are situated fifteen miles above the City of Montreal, Can., and there is a turbulent fall of the River St. Lawrence of fifteen feet to the mile of jagged rocks and reefs, most dangerous to navigate. The Lachine Canal, with a magnificent lock system, enters the lower and upper River St. Lawrence around the Rapids. In the picture is shown the little steamboat that shoots the rapids once a day with tourists and visitors, and is piloted by the celebrated Indian who manages to steer the boat around through what is known as one of the most dangerous rapids in the world.

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Postcard record

Condition	Good
Place mentioned	Lachine Rapids, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Notes	Heavy halftone dot screen with two-color tint; no white border; small orange stain near top center; slight corner wear. No postmark and no handwriting. Divided back ("THIS SPACE FOR CORRESPONDENCE" / "FOR ADDRESS ONLY") with a one-cent stamp box; printed descriptive text about the Lachine Rapids and the scene on the card back. Coarse halftone print, no white border. The vessel name GATINEAU is painted on the steamboat's hull in the photograph.

Cite this card

Steamboat in the Lachine Rapids, Montreal, Quebec, circa 1907, postcard, c. 1907. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/steamboat-in-the-lachine-rapids-montreal-quebec-circa-1907. Accessed November 2, 2026.