The A. J. Goddard was a small sternwheel steamboat constructed during the Klondike Gold Rush era for transportation on the Upper Yukon River in Canada. Owned by Seattle businessman Albert J. Goddard, the vessel was assembled from prefabricated parts manufactured in San Francisco, which were shipped to Skagway, Alaska, hauled over the Coast Mountains, and finally assembled at Lake Bennett. The vessel measured approximately 16 meters (about 52.5 feet) in length, reflecting its role as a smaller vessel compared to the larger Yukon River sternwheelers. Designed primarily for transporting men, supplies, and equipment, the A. J. Goddard played a significant role during the 1898 gold rush. It was the first sternwheeler to reach Dawson City in 1898, making the journey from Bennett Lake through Miles Canyon under its own power, a notable achievement at the time. The vessel carried ten passengers and a crew of eight on its historic trip, with its captain Albert Goddard’s wife Clara notably serving as the first female riverboat pilot on the Upper Yukon. After the rush, the vessel spent much of its operational life towing along Lake Laberge. In 1901, the A. J. Goddard sank during a storm on Lake Laberge, just a few hundred meters from shore. The crew's efforts to save her were unsuccessful, resulting in the deaths of three crew members. The wreck remained largely unmarked until it was rediscovered in 2008 off Goddard Point, near where she had sunk. The vessel was found upright with debris scattered across the site, including artifacts such as cooking ware, tools, personal items, and even a gramophone with records, providing a rare glimpse into life aboard a small Klondike-era steamboat. The A. J. Goddard is recognized as a significant piece of Yukon maritime history and was designated a Yukon Historic Site in 2010. Its discovery and preservation offer valuable insights into the technological and social aspects of the Gold Rush era, making it a unique example of the smaller vessels that operated on the Yukon River system.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.