Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives Episode 60
The newly-built SS Ontario, which carried the passengers of our story across Lake Superior, fighting through the ice with the help of the SS Asia and SS Manitoba (page 24, The Bergthaler Mennonites by Klaas Peters, CMBC Publications, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1988)
Today, guest host Sara Dyck brings you the chilly tale about a group of Mennonites whose ship became trapped in icy Lake Superior in the spring of 1876. A journey that was meant to take five days turned into a 15 day ordeal. They ran out of food, and almost out of coal to power the steam ship. Their story is pieced together from letters and journals of the travellers who did – eventually – arrive at their southern Manitoba destination.
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Podcast Series: Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives
Episode 60: Trapped in Icy Waters
Date: February 1st, 2026
Host: Dan Dyck
Published by The Mennonite Heritage Archives