Waterways once acted as the main link among many of British Columbia's isolated communities. Ships, steaming into the deep channels of the coast or gliding on the smooth lakes of the province's interior region, were a vital link in British Columbia's transportation network.
The ships of the Union Steamship Company, the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway served canneries, logging operations and mines all along the coast. A thriving tourist trade also grew, and visitors from around the world came to see the wonder of British Columbia's rugged coastline.