{"nrhp_refnum":"79001171","name":"COLUMBIA (steamer)","other_names":["The Bob-Lo Boat","Steamer COLUMBIA"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Buffalo River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.32656530600008,"lon":-83.04368836999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-02","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1992-07-06","areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Maritime History","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Columbia is a steel-hulled excursion steamer built in 1902 by the Detroit Shipbuilding Co. at Wyandotte, Michigan, and designed by Frank E. Kirby. She is a movable object whose home port is Detroit, where she served the Bob-Lo Island route.","why_significant":"The nomination argues she is one of the last two classic excursion steamers still operating in the United States and apparently the oldest operating American-flag passenger steamer. She is one of the last two essentially unaltered passenger ships by Frank E. Kirby and retains her original wooden superstructure and propulsion machinery. She is also tied to the social history of Detroit and its ferry and amusement services.","narrative":"Columbia is a propeller-driven excursion steamer completed in 1902 at the Wyandotte shipyard of the Detroit Shipbuilding Co. to a design by naval architect Frank E. Kirby. She has a riveted steel hull 207 feet long and a wooden superstructure strengthened with steel, including a second-deck ballroom and a mahogany-panelled main cabin. Her original triple-expansion steam engine and Scotch boilers remain in place and are visible to the public through an open well. Built for the Detroit ferry company to carry passengers to the Bois Blanc Island amusement grounds, she was the company's first metal-hulled steamer. The nomination presents her as one of the last two operating excursion steamers of her type, with her sister Ste. Claire, and as apparently the oldest operating American-flag passenger steamer. Alterations include a reduced smokestack around 1940, additions to the top deck, and the removal of a third-deck cabin. Her machinery and original route make her an unusual survivor.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Frank E. Kirby (designer); Detroit Shipbuilding Co. (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Rated in good condition and still operating as an excursion steamer at the time of nomination, with some alterations over the years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.027371-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/3411/25341134/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MI/79001171.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001171/ac92ab1daf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001171/ac92ab1daf-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steamer_Columbia_-_Detroit_MI_-_1905.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steamer_Columbia_-_Detroit_MI_-_1905.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25341134","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Columbia_(1902_steamboat)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7393418"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/columbia-steamer-79001171/"}