The Keewatin was donated to the Museum by its previous owners, Skyline Investments. They sought to donate it to a charity approved by Canadian Heritage that had the resources to care for the ship and was qualified to ensure the long-term preservation of Canadian cultural property such as the Keewatin.

Prior to Skyline’s purchase, it was owned by RJ and Diane Peterson of Douglas, Michigan, who purchased it from CP Rail upon the ship’s retirement. We’re grateful to all of the Keewatin’s past owners, as well as dedicated volunteers such as the Friends of Keewatin, for their efforts to preserve the ship. The story of the Keewatin and those who played a role in its creation and care will be documented and shared in the Museum once the Keewatin exhibits are completed.

We are also grateful to our many supportive members, donors, volunteers, staff, and Board Members in helping us preserve this important artifact.

We appreciate all those who have donated artifacts to the RJ and Diane Peterson Keewatin Foundation for display aboard the Keewatin. Those who are content to keep the artifact with the ship do not need to take any action. The artifacts will continue to be used and preserved as part of the ship’s museum programming. As part of our programming, we will broadly recognize that artifacts on-board the Keewatin have been donated by families, supporters, and fans of the Keewatin.

If you wish to request return of a family heirloom aboard the Keewatin, please contact us prior to Dec. 30, 2023, and include any proof of ownership you may possess. Note that, due to rules governing charities in Canada, we cannot return artifacts in situations where the donor has received a charitable tax receipt.

If you’re interested in volunteering with our Museum, please email us, phone us, or stop by during business hours. Thank you for your interest!

In addition, if you or family members have stories or artifacts from the Keewatin or its sister ship, S.S. Assiniboia, we’d love to know! It was not uncommon for people to get married, celebrate honeymoons, or take other special or memorable trips aboard these ships, and the ships were also homes to several meaningful careers. We would love to include your family story in our future exhibits.

Please complete our Volunteer Application Form here.

There are two answers; first, the ship isn’t heated so will not be open in the winter months; and second, restoration work, cleaning and staging will be taking place over the winter to prepare the ship for visitors. The ship has not welcomed visitors since 2019, so there is much to be done before it’s ready to welcome visitors.

The Museum is preparing exhibits, programs, and historical information to complement the Keewatin as part of the Museum’s collection. This summer, we are offering two guided tours: the Passenger Experience and the Engine Room Experince. Information on book your tour available here.

Our Museum left its current location in 2016 when the building was sold by the Federal Government of Canada (who had leased the building to us). Note that the Great Lakes Museum is an independent not-for-profit that is primarily funded through donations and cultural programs.

When the building was sold, we were without a location to moor the CCGS Alexander Henry and were forced to part ways with it. It is now in Thunder Bay, where it was originally constructed, and being cared for by the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society. Funding to relocate and preserve the Alexander Henry was provided by the City of Kingston, the City of Thunder Bay, and private donors. Relocating the ship was the most affordable option at the time and was preferable to sinking it or scrapping it.

In 2019, we were able to acquire the funds to purchase our original building when the developer who had purchased the property sold it. We have been seeking a museum ship for our dry dock since that time. The Keewatin is a unique, highly desirable, and valuable artifact and, since the Museum now owns its current building with its historic dry dock, we do not foresee a similar situation occurring again.

Please contact the Museum at marmus@marmuseum.ca. We will do our best to respond as soon as we can.