page_title: Toronto Island ferries
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Toronto Island ferries / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The first ferry horse boat in Toronto, Canada. The ferry originally plied the Niagara River, but was purchased to ferry passengers between Toronto and the Island. Under the command of L. J. Privat, it was called the Peninsula Packet (although commonly at that time referred to as an island, the Toronto Islands were still a peninsula in the early 19th century), but she was most commonly known as "the horse boat". The vessel was taken off the route in 1850.
context_page_description: The Toronto Island ferries connect the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario to the mainland of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main city-operated ferry services carry passengers and commercial vehicles from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street to three docks on the islands. Private motor vehicles are not carried. The ferry operated by PortsToronto carries passengers and vehicles to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the island from the foot of Eireann Quay. Additional private ferries carry passengers to various island boat clubs. Ferry services to the islands began in 1833, and the Toronto Island Ferry company began in 1883.
context_section_description: The first ferry to cross Toronto Harbour to what are now the Toronto Islands was in 1833, using a boat called Sir John of the Peninsula. This was a four-horse team boat, operated by Michael O'Connor, between York and his hotel on the island (then still a peninsula), known as the "Retreat on the Peninsula." At this time, persons could still access the peninsula from a road to the east of York, crossing over the Don. In 1835, the hotel came under new management and the first steam-powered ferry to the hotel, the Toronto was inaugurated. However, the steamboat was removed from service and sold and the horse boat reinstated. The popularity of the peninsula increased and in 1836, the city established a toll gate on the road, charging sixpence for every four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses and other tolls for smaller carriages, wagons or riders.
  In 1843, the Peninsula Packet, a converted steamboat, which was propelled by paddle wheels driven by horses was pressed into service for the hotel. The ferry operated until 1850.In 1853, the hotel came under new management again, that of John Quinn. Quinn introduced another steam ferry, the Victoria. Competition for the ferry business came the next year when Robert Moodie introduced his own the steam ferry, the Bob Moodie. Quinn responded with another vessel, the Welland, another steam ferry. In 1857, Moodie added the Lady Head steam vessel. A vicious storm hit the island on April 13, 1858, destroying Quinn's hotel and the Parkinson's hotel and creating a 500-yard (460 m)-wide eastern gap making the previous peninsula an island.
  Throughout the rest of the 19th-century, the popularity of the Island increased. Competition abounded - there were 47 ferries operating in the Harbour in the 1850s. With no links to the mainland, ferries proliferated, with most being paddle steamers operated by individual owners. Eventually, two competing ferry companies came into being: the Turner Ferry Company and A.J. Tymon's Island Ferry Company. The assets of the Turner Ferry Company (founded 1882) were bought by the John Doty Engine & Ferry Company, which in turn merged with A.J. Tymon's Island Ferry Company  in 1892 to form the Toronto Ferry Company.
  In 1906 and 1910, the Toronto Ferry Company built two double-decked, double-ended paddle steamers, with a capacity of 1,450 passengers. They were named Bluebell and Trillium. They were retired in 1955 and 1957 respectively, but Trillium survived and re-entered service in 1976. It is operated by the Great Lakes Schooner Company for corporate and private functions, and for ferry runs throughout the summer. It is now 110 years old.
  The Toronto Ferry Company continued to operate the ferry services until 1926, when its services and fleet was purchased by the City of Toronto for CA$337,500 ($4.89 million in 2018 dollars). The Toronto Ferry Co was in arrears on rent to the City to the amount of $6,500 and only operated in 1926 with the assurance that the City would buy the boats at the end of the season. In February 1927, the city transferred the eight-boat fleet to the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC, later renamed the Toronto Transit Commission), the body that operates the city's transit system. Three boats included in the purchase - the John Hanlan, the Jasmine and the Clark Bros were found to be in poor condition and all ended up being burned for amusement at Sunnyside Amusement Park.
  The three double-ended, diesel-engined and screw-driven ferries that form the backbone of today's service to the islands were built for the TTC. The William Inglis was built in 1935, the Sam McBride in 1939, and the Thomas Rennie in 1951.
  In 1938, the Toronto Harbour Commission began operating a ferry service to the new Toronto Island Airport, then under construction. A scow was adapted for use as a cable ferry, with the intention that this ferry would operate for a five-year period. However, the scow remained in service for 25 years before being replaced by the ferry Maple City. The backup ferry Windmill Point was acquired in 1985 and a new replacement ferry, TCCA1, i
caption: In 1843, the first Peninsula Packet, was pressed into service to transport people to the islands.
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