The first paddlewheeler on the Yukon River was launched in 1869, the year the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) took over the old Russian-American trading posts. This boat, appropriately named The Yukon, carried supplies and trade goods. It also proved that the Yukon River was navigable for more than 1000 miles.
A 50-foot paddlewheeler, The Yukon was brought up the coast to St. Michael lashed to the deck of the ACC's ocean steamer, the Commodore. When it was launched on July 4, 1869, it caused tremendous excitement and terror. To the indigenous people it "appeared as a huge monster, breathing fire and smoke." Its accommodation was so limited that at mealtimes it stopped while the crew and traders took turns eating at a small table.
It was The Yukon that carried McQuesten and Moise Mercier into the Canadian part of the Yukon River Valley on their way to build Fort Reliance. It remained in service for ten years, until 1879, when it was replaced by the Yukon II.
