Shipwrecks are pretty cool. Many people have a fascination with them. Perhaps it’s because of there overbearing, colossal size, or how they offset themselves in the background.
For hundreds of years, people have been fascinated by them. Most shipwrecks are located near water. Those who live inland are often denied the strange pleasure of seeing one outside of Pinterest or google maps.
In the Great Lakes, there are a few above water shipwrecks, but none as commanding as La Grand Hermine.
Traveling along the QEW from Niagara Falls to Toronto, You can see one of Niagara’s most prominent landmarks; “that abandoned ship”, the “Pirate Ship”, or the “Ghost Ship” as some refer to it as.
I have seen the vessel many times, and been aboard it more than once. Including before it became the burned out hulk which it is today. “La Grand Hermine“, also known as “The Big Weasel”, is located perched on the shoreline at the Jordan Harbour, just off the western shore of Lake Ontario, between Hamilton and St. Catharines.
La Grande Hermine was a replica of one of the 3 ships that Jacques Cartier used when exploring and the St. Lawrence river back in 1535. This was the largest one — measuring 140 feet long. If this ghost ship could talk, it would have a lengthy story to tell of where’s it been, and how it got here.
She was constructed in 1914 in Quebec and was names S.S. LE PROGRES in her first life. She was a steam ferry used in the port of Trois-Rivières. Her name was changed to S.S. LA VERENDRYE in 1930 but she was still used as a ferry.
In 1956, she was converted into a coaster, with diesel propulsion and carried pulpwood on the St-Lawrence River. Her name was once again changed. This time it was LA MARJOLAINE.
In the mid-1970s, LA MARJOLAINE was replaced by a larger ferry, and she was then sold to become a tour boat on the Saguenay River. She was leased for two years and was used again as a ferry between Montmagny and Île-aux-Grues, near the city of Quebec. In 1980 she was laid up, and derelict for several years.
In 1991 she was transformed into a replica of a large tall ship christened LA GRANDE HERMINE, destined to become a floating restaurant.
The ship was towed to Jordan Harbour in 1997 with the intention of being turned into a restaurant or a gambling venue by a businessman, who unfortunately passed away before he could see the goal come true. He was awaiting permission and funding to have the ship be used near Niagara Falls. The ship was being temporarily stored at Jordan Harbour to keep it in serviceable condition, before it was to be used again.
Sadly in January of 2003, she became a the victim of arson. The entire wooden structure of the vessel was burnt. This took with it any possibility of restoration.
In the decades since the fire many people have tried to acquire the vessel for various purposes including a scuba diving attraction, restoration, and scrap metal. The vessel is considered a local landmark and the owners are not interested in parting with it.
Standing on board the shipwreck today, which is easily accessible by canoe, raft, or even swimming (if you’re daring enough) The hot steel deck feels like sandpaper under bare feet. There are large amounts of bird poop, broken glass from partiers and debris scattered all around it. It is possible to get into the bridge, and a few other empty areas but there is not much to see. The lower decks are completely flooded.
If you wish to see for yourself this piece of Niagara history, next time you are traveling into Niagara Falls, you can stop at Jordan Harbour and take a look. It’s easily viewable and close to the shoreline.