‘GREATEST DAY EVER’: SEGWUN’S FINAL SEASON SALUTE ECHOES THROUGH GRAVENHURST AND UP MUSKOKA LAKES
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
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Seven historic whistles send the RMS Segwun into season sunset as Muskoka’s steamship season ends on a high note. A spectacular autumn farewell at Muskoka Wharf brings generations of steam heritage roaring back to life for once-in-a-lifetime celebration of steam, sound and local history.
GRAVENHURST — With a full head of steam still in its boilers, the RMS Segwun brought its short two-week sailing season to a memorable close yesterday — not with the traditional four blasts of its whistle, but with seven.
And for the crowd gathered at Muskoka Wharf, it was music to their ears.
But this was no ordinary send-off.
After a major facelift and refit, Muskoka’s Lady of the Lakes was forced to cancel its final scheduled trip because of windy conditions. Passengers booked aboard the historic steamship were transferred to the Wenonah II instead. It is running for about another week more.
But the day was far from over.
The disappointment of a cancelled cruise gave way to an unexpected bonus. Returning to the Muskoka Wharf shortly after 5 p.m., passengers were treated to a spectacular display of fall colours reflected across the water — and an unexpected bonus as the Muskoka Steamships crew delivered a final salute to the season.
The whistles run on steam and the crew hooked a pipe up to the Segwun boiler and ran it out a deck door window where each whistle was briefly mounted.
And one by one, seven different whistles sounded across the harbour — and town — with big bursts of smoke bringing Muskoka’s maritime and industrial heritage roaring back to life.
“Thar she blows … full steam ahead … all aboard,” a handful of spectators could be heard joking from a nearby dock, laughing as the blasts rang out over the shimmering late afternoon water.
Seven whistles, countless memories
For a few unforgettable minutes, the waterfront became a stage for history.
For some, the sounds were more than a novelty. The collection of whistles brought together mechanical voices from another time. They were a connection to an era when steam-powered vessels and locomotives helped shape Gravenhurst and the Muskoka Lakes, its industries and its communities.
Some of the whistles had not been heard in decades. Others carried stories of vessels long gone, including steamships whose working days ended generations ago. One incredibly from the Waome that went down in 1934 tragically claiming three lives.
“Greatest day ever” enthused Shawn Ruhl, one of the Muskoka fleet’s captains.
Among them were whistles from vessels such as the Waome, along with one associated with a sunken ship near the Seven Sisters area. Another railway whistle was believed to have been manufactured for a locomotive but never installed as the industry moved from steam to diesel power.
One unidentified one may have been off the S.S. Bigwin on Lake of Bays.
Each had its own pitch, character and story.
Some of the sounds had not been heard in decades, making the occasion all the more remarkable for the enthusiasts and former crew members who gathered to witness it.
The blasts prompted cheers, laughter and a flurry of cellphone recordings. One particularly powerful whistle even overwhelmed the audio on a spectator’s phone video.
For those listening from the dock, it was a rare opportunity to hear history rather than simply read about it. The whistles themselves were a collection of mechanical voices from another time.
The seven-whistle salute was a departure from the customary beginning- and end-of-season tradition of sounding “two long blasts, one short blast and another long one.”
That familiar sequence is also used by trains approaching railway crossings, a reminder of the close relationship between steamships and the railway age.
Cliff and Ken Dawson say their dad, Abraham, would have been proud to hear his whistle blown again after 60 years.
A family affair
The gathering also brought together people whose lives and families have been intertwined with Muskoka’s steam heritage for generations.
Among them was John Spring, who worked aboard the Segwun during its 1988 season.
An operating engineer by trade, Spring came north after the Firestone plant in Hamilton closed and joined the steamship operation as a stoker and oiler. He later moved on to work as an operating engineer at Sheridan College in Brampton.
His connection to the vessel, however, went well beyond his own time aboard. His father, Ken Spring, had been involved in the Segwun’s restoration and served aboard as a stoker, oiler and engineer. A chair bearing his father’s name remains aboard the vessel as a tangible reminder of that contribution.
Spring’s visit was also a reunion of sorts, reconnecting with friends who had worked together originally restoring the Segwun.
Their shared experience underscored the close-knit community of enthusiasts and skilled tradespeople who have helped keep steam technology alive long after its commercial heyday.
Other spectators brought their own family histories to the waterfront, sharing stories of fathers and grandfathers who worked with steam engines, machinery and the boats that once plied Muskoka’s lakes. Some of them now on display in the nearby Muskoka Discovery Centre.
For them, the whistles were more than loud blasts of escaping steam. They were a connection to family, craftsmanship and a way of life that helped shape the region.
They were descendants of families who had helped preserve the region’s steam heritage, along with former crew members and enthusiasts who had travelled to Gravenhurst specifically to experience the occasion.
Like Cliff and Ken Dawson, of Bracebridge. Their family ran a mill there that milled trees and cut boards for hundreds of homes across Muskoka. And are big into the Pioneer and Power displays at the Bracebridge Fall Fair.
They “enjoyed” all the whistles, and said it was “nice to see and hear again,” particularly a “home-made one” their dad Abraham made and was heard for the first time since the 1960s they thought. It was from an old tractor that began its life on a farm in Saskatchewan threshing.
Other spectators brought their own family histories to the dock. Stories of grandparents, fathers and grandfathers who worked with steam engines and machinery flowed as readily as memories of Muskoka’s old boats.
Including Kayla Matchett, whose grandfather Doug (Dick) ran dances on the Segwun during fundraising restoration days. It was brought out of the collection for this special one-day salute. Only the one old train whistle remains in the Matchett family possession, said her proud brother Kenny Matchett.
“Some of them are off the old sunken ships,” said Kayla boyfriend Carter Densted, of Muskoka Barge and Construction, who said he has pulled the Segwun.
Kenny Matchett explains a little history of the six whistles they blew off.
The whistles came from historic steamships, including the Wyoming. Others were associated with the region’s sunken-vessel history. One railway whistle, meanwhile, was believed to have been manufactured for a locomotive but never installed as the railway era gave way to diesel power.
Each had its own pitch, character and story. The Segwun whistle operating now has a three-tone chord sound. Its sister ship the Wenonah has just a single sound pitch, explained Ruhl.
Together, the collection produced a remarkable chorus that echoed around the wharf, prompting cheers, laughter and a flurry of phone recordings. One particularly powerful blast even overwhelmed the audio on a Segwun stoker and oiler Kenny Matchett’s phone video.
For a few minutes, the waterfront was transformed into a living museum — one where history could be heard as well as seen.
The Segwun, North America’s oldest operating coal-fired steamship, has long been one of Muskoka’s signature attractions, carrying generations of passengers through the lakes that helped define the region.
Its season may have ended, but yesterday’s farewell offered a reminder that the vessel’s significance extends well beyond sightseeing cruises.
It is a working link to the people, machinery and traditions that built Muskoka.
And as seven whistles faded across the autumn water, the message was unmistakable: steam may belong to another age, but its sound still has the power to bring a community together.
But at Muskoka Wharf, the rules of an ordinary day gave way to something more celebratory.
As each whistle sounded, spectators watched, listened and recorded the moment. The laughter and excitement on the dock reflected a shared appreciation for machinery that has outlasted the industries that once depended on it.
It was a living museum, with no glass cases or recorded soundtrack — just real whistles, real steam and the waters of Muskoka providing the backdrop.
Carter Denstedt and Kayla Matchett record whistles for posterity.
The Dawson brothers, Cliff and Ken, were among a handful of family and friends watching and listening to their dad’s whistle here.
A legacy that keeps steaming ahead
The Segwun, North America’s oldest operating coal-fired steamship, has long been one of Muskoka’s signature attractions, carrying generations of passengers through the lakes that helped define the region.
Its importance, however, extends well beyond sightseeing cruises.
The vessel is a working link to the people who built, maintained and operated the steam-powered machinery that once moved passengers and goods through the region. Its continued operation also reflects the dedication of those who have invested their time, skills and resources in preserving that heritage.
Yesterday’s farewell brought those connections into sharp focus.
The cancelled cruise may have changed the plans of passengers booked for the final sailing, but it did little to diminish the day’s significance. In the end, the harbour offered something unexpected: a spectacular autumn setting, a gathering of generations and seven unmistakable reminders of Muskoka’s past.
As the final whistle faded across the water, the Segwun’s sailing season came to an end.
But the memories — and the sounds — will linger.
Steam may belong to another age, but in Gravenhurst, its voice can still bring a community together.
And for one delighted captain, at least, there was only one way to describe it.
“Greatest day ever!”
The Segwun whistle was the seventh and last whistle to blow Friday to end her two-week season.
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