On Oct. 8 at 2:30 p.m. at the Gray Creek Store in Gray Creek, the S.S. Nasookin’s original steering wheel will be unveiled to the public. The 8.5-foot diameter wooden wheel was recently gifted to the Gray Creek Historical Society by Malcolm Metcalfe, grandson of Capt. Malcolm MacKinnon, and the MacKinnon family.
MacKinnon skippered the Nasookin on her maiden voyage in 1913, and was her captain on trips between Gray Creek and Fraser’s Landing (Balfour) from 1933 until the end of her career in 1947. When the sternwheeler was converted to a car ferry in 1933-34, the big original wheel was retired, and has been in the care of the MacKinnon family for 80 years, until now.
Tom Lymbery will relate the story of the Nasookin and its legendary captain, and MacKinnon family members will be in attendance.