S.S. Sicamous

In 1914, along came a new CPR sternwheeler called the S.S. Sicamous to join the Aberdeen and Okanagan. The Sicamous was the biggest and most luxurious of the three CPR steamships on Okanagan Lake. This steamboat was powered by coal. The Sicamous was built in Ontario but was put together at Okanagan Landing. This boat was three decks high, over 200 feet long (60 metres), and could carry up to 500 passengers and 900 tons (816,480 kilograms) of freight. The bottom deck carried the freight and mail. She could carry several train-carloads of fruit on her lower deck without any problem at all. The lower deck also housed the crew members. The upper two decks had staterooms, a smoking room, an observation room, a ladies’ saloon, and a dining room.

The S.S. Sicamous was a magnificent boat. It cost $180,000 to build with $14,000 spent on furniture alone. She was built with a great deal of wood, including BC cedar, Douglas fir, Australian mahogany, and Burmese teak. The boat also had brass hardware fittings from Scotland. The dining room would seat 50 to 70 diners, and there were 36 first-class staterooms. The staterooms were numbered 1 to 37, not 36, because there was no number 13 stateroom. The staterooms were steam heated and had electric lights. Private staterooms cost $2.50 per night. In a shared room, a lower berth would cost $1.50, and the upper berth would cost only $1.00. There was no running water on board, but there were several bathrooms. Two of the bathrooms had bathtubs in them. Heated water for bathing could be purchased for 50 cents. These prices were quite expensive in the Sicamous’ day. However, the first-class service more than made up for the expense.