4. As more roads were built, and cars and trucks became even more widely available, the need for the steamboats slowly came to an end.

5. The paddlewheels often got covered with spray from the water, and they would end up covered in a thin sheet of ice. This thin sheet of ice interfered with the ship’s ability to operate properly. Also, sometimes the lake froze over completely, making it impossible for the steamboats to operate.

Comprehension – Discussion Questions

1. There was probably no number 13 stateroom due to the superstition that the number 13 is bad luck. Many superstitions may have started to answer something unknown.

2. In the past, many people were far more religious and Sunday was known as the Lord’s Day. In the early days of settlement in the Okanagan Valley, Sundays would have been a day of rest and a day of worship, but not a day of work.

3. Answers will vary.

4. Instructors may want to discuss the topic of how the government wanted to change an already-named Rocky mountain to Mount Trudeau after the death of Pierre Trudeau.

5. This dates back to early Greek mythology. During that time, the Greeks believed there were a group of sea nymphs who could walk on water. The sea nymphs were all female. When you see a boat on a horizon, it too, appears to be “walking” on water. So, the early Greeks named their ships after the sea nymphs, and thus always referred to them as “she” and “her” because the sea nymphs all were females. The Greeks only named their merchant ships after the sea nymphs, not their warships, which took on masculine names. Through the ages, we have come to use feminine pronouns for most ships.