The following historical information was provided and written by Hubert Desgagnés
"This vessel was the s.s. LE PROGRES in her first life, being a steam ferry used in the port of Trois-Rivières. Her name became the s.s. LA VERENDRYE in 1930 but was still used as a ferry. Then, in 1956, she was converted into a coaster, with diesel propulsion and was carrying pulpwood on the St-Lawrence River. Her name then became LA MARJOLAINE. Her solid steel hull makes her an interesting option to become in 1958 the first functional 12-month ferry used between Île aux Coudres and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive in Charlevoix County. Then, in the mid-1970s, LA MARJOLAINE was replaced by a large ferry, and she was then sold to become a tour boat on the Saguenay River. She was lease for two years and was used again as a ferry between Montmagny and Île-aux-Grues, near the city of Quebec. In 1980 she remain idle and two years later, she was transformed into a floating restaurant, but the experience was not a success, and she remained inactive until she was transformed in 1991 into a replica of a large tall ship christened LA GRANDE HERMINE. She was again used as a floating restaurant but again, this experience was not a success and she was sold again for a project on Lake Ontario. As mentioned, she was set on fire in January 2003 and the whole wooden structure was destroyed, leaving the old steel silhouette of a former ferry with a ghostly look with the her Tall ship’s masts."
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