Bruce County Memories: Steam tug 'Prince Alfred' is locked in the ice pack off Tobermory

Patrick Folkes shares a look back at the plight of the Prince Alfred when it became trapped in ice in April, 1880, in this piece for the Bruce County Historical Society.

Mar 26, 2026

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Wiarton Harbour, by Mark Matthews, a photographer in Wiarton from 1876 to at least 1901. (Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, A2022.028.002)

by Patrick Folkes

In 1879, the 60-foot steam tug Prince Alfred arrived in Wiarton to replace the O’Koura, which had burned on Colpoys Bay the previous summer. Owner Andrew Port offered travellers a daily,…

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