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The steamboat, the Woodstock was launched May 12, 1832 in Portland, N.B.. This was the first of two steamboats on the river named the Woodstock. When measured for tonnage, her keel was recorded as 55 feet, making her the smallest of her kind on the St. John River. She had one mast, a raking stem and standing bowsprit, a round stern and a square wheelhouse.
On August 31, she sailed up the Kennebecasis River to Hampton, being the first steamboat to make this trip. During the balance of the season, she made a trip to Grand Lake for coal, towed lumber from Oromocto, and had intermittent sailings to Fredericton in opposition to the John Ward and the Saint George.
Early in May 1833, it was decided that the Woodstock should attempt a trip to the place for which she was named, a feat not yet accomplished. On May 14, under command of Captain James J. Akerley and with twenty passengers on board, the little steamboat started for Woodstock. Many people lined the riverbank shouting, cheering, and in many cases saluting with volleys from their muskets.
By nightfall, a point only 20 miles above Fredericton had been reached. The Woodstock tied up the for the night. The following morning, due to the rapidly rising water and consequent increase in current, Captain Akerley thought it prudent to return to Fredericton. Another attempt was made on May 25, with the Woodstock reaching a point 45 miles up river from Fredericton.
It was now felt that this steamer would never reach Woodstock because she did not have sufficient power to navigate the Meductic Rapids.
The Woodstock passed through several changes of ownership and sailed on various Bay of Fundy routes including St. Andrews to Grand Manan, Campobello, Deer Island, and Eastport. The next year she sailed from Saint John to Shepody, Hopewell, Dorchester, and the Bend (Moncton). Another schedule called for Woods Point in Sackville and Amherst.
In 1837, she returned to the St. John River and Grand Lake. The steamboat, the Novelty, had reached Woodstock on April 30, so the operators of the steamboat Woodstock decided to make one more attempt to reach her namesake and this time, with the assistance of horses to get over the Meductic Rapids she was successful. The steamboat Woodstock had finally reached Woodstock, New Brunswick. This inaugurated the steamboat service between Fredericton and Woodstock, which soon extended to Tobique (Perth Andover) and Grand Falls. Over a period of 70 years, twenty different steamers had served this area carrying great quantities of freight and thousands of passengers.
From what has been written, we gather that travel by land between Fredericton and Woodstock was tedious and difficult. In many sections, the best roads were the rocky tow paths used by horses in towing boats upriver over places where strong currents existed.
It was not until the late thirties that the road had been improved sufficiently to be used by the stagecoach and many people still preferred to travel by the slightly slower but much smoother tow boat.
The advent of the steamboat was hailed by all with great rejoicing. Once the steamboats had reached Woodstock, it was found that the low water encountered each mid-summer would prove to be somewhat of an obstacle to a regular service. This was partially overcome by changes in design of shallow draft steamboats.
The Woodstock was destroyed in 1838.
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