Manitoba Historical Society
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Northern Prairie Ships: River Rouge

The 400-passenger River Rouge cruise ship was designed and constructed between 1966 and 1967 at Purvis Shipyards in Selkirk. Completed at a cost of $500,000, owner Daniel Ritchie offered passengers a three-hour sightseeing trip along the Red River. Last used in 2014, the ship was beached in the Selkirk Slough at the time of a 2022 site visit.

Postcard view of the River Rouge on the Red River

Postcard view of the River Rouge on the Red River (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2022-0022

River Rouge on the Red River

River Rouge on the Red River (July 2005)
Source: George Penner

Cruiss ships in the Selkirk Slough

Cruise ships in the Selkirk Slough (February 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina

River Rouge on the Red River

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (January 2016)
Source: George Penner

River Rouge on the Red River

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough

River Rouge in the Selkirk Slough (February 2022)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Daniel Anthony “Dan” Ritchie (1924-2011)

Memorable Manitobans: William George “Bill” Purvis (1894-1970)

Memorable Manitobans: Edward Hubert “Ted” Purvis (1941-2016)

Northern Prairie Ships: Paddlewheel Princess

Northern Prairie Ships: Paddlewheel Queen

Northern Prairie Ships: Lady Winnipeg

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba

Remembering the Riverboats by Adrian Ames
Manitoba History, Number 49, June 2005

Sources:

“River boats rival for the pleasure of your company,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 May 1968, page 63.

“Paddlewheel Queens: Passenger ships once ruled the Red River” by Bill Redekop, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 2016.

“The sinking tourism on Winnipeg’s rivers,” Global News, 12 October 2016.

We thank Rose Kuzina and George Penner for providing additional information used here.

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Page revised: 10 April 2022
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