Statistics:

M.V. Quillayute
Previous Name	M.V. Winslow (1923-55)
Place Built	Winslow, Washington
Year Built	1927
Year Retired from BC Ferries	1963
At Retirement:
Vehicle Capacity	35
Passenger Capacity	600
Length	151.5 ft.
Gross Tons	986
Horsepower	750

History & Notes:

• The wooden Winslow / Quillayute was built in in 1927 for the Sound Ferry Line. According to Griffiths and Cadieux, she was originally named Winslow, however according to Kline and Bayless, she was launched as the Quillayute. The Quillayute was first placed on the Edmonds - Port Ludlow route. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 115 ; Kline and Bayless, 178)

• Sound Ferry Line was absorbed into Puget Sound Navigation Company in 1928 and continued to operate in Puget Sound. (Kline and Bayless, 178)

• Just before Washington State took over the Puget Sound Navigation Company in 1951, company president Captain Peabody created a Canadian subsidary, Black Ball Ferries Ltd. To this Canadian company were transferred the Quillayute along with the Bainbridge (Jervis Queen), the City of Sacramento (renamed Kahloke and later Langdale Queen), the Chinook (renamed Chinook II and later Sechelt Queen), and later the Smokwa. (Kline and Bayless, 310-11 ; Bannerman, 37, 69, 170)

• With Black Ball, the Quillayute was placed on the new Earl's Cove - Saltery Bay route, crossing Jervis Inlet and connecting Powell River with the Sunshine Coast. (Kline and Bayless, 310)

• B.C. Ferries aquired Black Ball Ferries in 1961 for $6,690,000. This sale included the Quillayute, Bainbridge, Kahloke, Smokwa, and the Chinook, as well as the terminal facilities at Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, Langdale, Earl's Cove, and Saltery Bay. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 22)

• The Quillayute was full of problems during her years with Black Ball and BC Ferries. In 1960, the Quillayute crashed into some rocks in Jervis Inlet, holing the hull and requiring the evacuation of the passengers by a tugboat (Griffiths and Cadieux, 96-7). In 1962, the Quillayute smashed into a deadhead, wrecking her propeller and putting her into drydock (Griffiths and Cadieux, 96). According to evergreenfleet.com, the Quillayute had chronic problems with her engine and wooden-construction in later years. A hole from a deadhead sealed the ferry's fate in 1963 and she was sold to Nelson Brothers for $9,000. (www.evergreenfleet.com ; Griffiths and Cadieux, 43 ; Bannerman, 171)

• Nelson Brothers renamed the ferry to Samson IV and converted her to a fishing camp. (Bannerman, 171)

Origin of the Names:

• Winslow - Winslow is a town on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. The following story of the name Quillayute throws doubt on whether the ferry was ever named Winslow:

• Quillayute - Named after the Quillayute River in Washington. According to Mary Kline and George Bayless, the Quillayute was named by Mrs. Rose Littleton who won a contest for coming up with the best name for the new ferry (178). The name means "gathering together" in a Native language (Kline and Bayless, 355).

• Samson IV - The Samsons were a line of sternwheelers built in British Columbia between the mid-1880's and mid-1930's and used as workboats along the coast and Fraser River. The sternwheeler Samson IV was built in 1924 and used for a variety of jobs along the Fraser River until 1937. Source: The Mighty Samsons

What happened to the Quillayute?

• Last word (mid-1980s), the Samson IV was being used as a fishing camp. (Bannerman, 170)

• If you have any more information, please e-mail me.

Works Cited & Sources:

Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia. Surrey: Hancock House Publishers, 1985.

Evergreenfleet.com - Quillayute

Griffiths, Garth, and H.L. Cadieux. Dogwood Fleet. Nanaimo: Cadieux and Griffiths, 1967.

Kline, M.S. and G.A. Bayless. Ferryboats - A Legend on Puget Sound. Seattle: Bayless Books, 1983.

Samson V Maritime Museum, New Westminster - The Mighty Samsons

Relevant Links & Photos:

Evergreenfleet.com - Quillayute - A short history of the ferry from the website's "Forgotten Fleet" section.

BC Archives Photographs (By Call Number)

F-09388 - The Quillayute.

E-06957 - The Quillayute arriving at Earl's Cove.