This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE 1/27/05

100 years ago tomorrow was a great day in the life of Klamath Falls.
A number of boats had been built over the years and ran on both Upper and Lower Klamath Lake, but at best they were small boats.
As 1905 dawned Klamath Falls was entering a new era in its development. George Baldwin was involved in constructing his new hardware store and hotel. The work on that building began in later 1904 with the removal of rock and the beginning of construction.
The city’s population had tripled in the last five years from about 400 in 1900 to over 1,200 in 1905, and the prospects were great for not only a giant irrigation system, but also for the arrival of a railroad which the community had sought for many years.
A bit of competition had developed between the Klamath Development Company and the Klamath Canal...later the Klamath Navigation company over the construction of a larger vessel for use on the lakes.
Harry Drew, at one time director of the Klamath County Museum details the construction of the steam paddle wheeler...the Winema.
He wrote: “Construction of this grand lady began in November of 1904 with C. W. Walker, a Portland ship builder, employed to handle the job. As work progressed, the need for finding a name for the boat became evident, so Totten and Hansbury established a contest that would allow the public to name the boat. The contest was run in the newspaper of the time, the Express. The winner of the contest woul.d be selected by a special committee and would have the privilege of christening the new boat as well as being given a free ride and banquet on board. Three people suggested the name “The Winema” and the winner of a drawing was Mrs. F. W. Reames Jennings.
Drew continued: “The frenzy and tempo of the time continued to mount as the Winema’s launch date approached. On the cold afternoon of Saturday, January 28th, 1905, Mrs. Jennings, in a clear voice said:
‘OIn the waters of the mighty Klamath, under God’s blue canopy, with this wine of sunny France, I christen thee ‘Winema’, and with that the Queen of Upper Klamath Lake was launched. “
The hull of the Winema was taken up to Odessa where the upper decks, three in all, were added to the boat.
Drew continued: “The maiden voyage came on Sunday, April 3. The day’s agenda began with departure from the Stanley and O’Neill wharf on the east side of the lake at 8:30 a.m. proceeding on across the lake to Odessa for dinner served by Mrs. Griffity and then to Pelican Bay and back across the lake to the point of departure. Round trip tickers were available at Bishop’s Furniture Store for only one dollar. Over 200 people were on board.
The Winema continued to carry passengers and cargo, but on August 7th, 1907 the Winema was blown over in a squall. While the incident was attributed to a possible cyclone wind...the Winema with its three decks was extremely top-heavy.
The boat was righted and the top deck removed.
Drew continued: “The big steamer was to ply the Klamath waterways for another six years and in the fall of 1914 the Winema was put in drydock. “
Drew wrote that several efforts were made to put the Winema back into active duty, but not very successfully, the last of these in 1917.
In 1927, sparks allegedly from a nearby donkey engine set the Winema afire. Within a few moments the Queen of the Lake was out of existence.
So ended....the very proud moment that began one hundred years ago tomorrow in the little community of Klamath Falls.
This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.