As early as 1834, small boats was the only way to transport people across the Niagara River.
The Maid of the Mist I was launched on May 27th 1846. This large ferry boat service was short lived by the completion of the First International Bridge. The Maid of the Mist had to take up the role as a tourist sightseeing service to remain viable.
On July 14th 1854, the Maid of the Mist II was launched. It was much larger than the first and was a steam propelled paddle wheeler with a single smoke stack.
Read about the 1861 Maid of the Mist journey by Captain Joel Robinson when it was sold for the American Civil War.
The elegant, 70 foot long Maid of the Mist III was launched in June of 1885.
The Maid of the Mist IV was launched in 1892 on the American side.
On April 22 1955, a fire caused two Maid of the Mist boats to burn at the Canadian docks.
On July 28 1955 a new Maid of the Mist boat was launched to replace those boats destroyed by fire. This boat, christened “Maid of the Mist V”, was built entirely of steel.
In June of 1956, the sixth boat in the Maid of the Mist fleet was launched. It was christened Maid of the Mist II.
On June 9th 1960, the Maid of the Mist II was used in the rescue of Roger Woodward. In 1983, the Maid of the Mist II was sold and today it continues service as a Missionary ship on the Amazon River.
In 1976, Maid of the Mist IV was launched. This boat could carry 200 passengers. The Maid of the Mist IV is 22m long and has a beam 7m.
On June 6th 1983, the steel 300 passenger Maid of the Mist V was launched into service This boat became the ninth boat launched during the history of the Maid of the Mist Company.
In 1990, the Maid of the Mist VI was launched into service. The all steel double deck boat is capable of carrying 600 passengers at a time.
On May 30th 1997, the first section of the new Maid of the Mist VII arrived on a flatbed trailer to the Maid of the Mist docks. The first piece of the hullweighed 27,730 pounds. Over the following weeks the remainder of the boatwas delivered in 14 separate pieces, including 8 additional pieces of the hull.
When assembled the new Maid of the Mist VII was 80 feet long, weighing 145 tons and will capable of carrying 582 passengers. The Maid of the Mist VII replaced the smaller Maid of the Mist III.
The new Maid of the Mist VII was officially launched into service on July 11th 1997.