Captain John Joseph Holland | |
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| Born | (1843-04-15)April 15, 1843 Saint John, New Brunswick,British North America |
| Died | January 28, 1893(1893-01-28) (aged 49) Ballard, Washington |
| Occupation | Ship Builder |
| Spouse | Anna J. Holland née Foster |
| Children | Thomas, James, William, Anna, Mamy, Johnnie |
Captain John Joseph Holland was a shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century. Among the vessels he built at his yards were the sternwheel steamboatFairhaven in 1889,[1] and, in 1890, the famous sternwheelerBailey Gatzert.
Captain Holland was born inSaint John, New Brunswick,Canada on April 15, 1843. He learned his trade as a shipbuilder at Saint John. From age 23 to 25 there are records of him sailing as an able-bodied seaman on multiple trips between Saint John and Liverpool and London.
He emigrated to the United States and moved toThe Dalles, Oregon on theColumbia River. He found a job with theOregon Railway and Navigation Company, and married Anna J. Foster there.[2] Holland later moved toPortland, Oregon with the same company, where he became the Chief Builder.[3] While working in Portland, he built the steamshipsWide West,R.R. Thompson,Idaho,Daisy Ainsworth[3], Rainier[4], andEmma Hayward..[5] Captain Holland's half-brother, Phillip, was with him in Oregon and also involved in shipping. Unfortunately, he was mortally injured in a collision between the steam launchMikado and anOregon and California Railroad ferry on October 26, 1886.[6] He died 65 days later.[7]
After years on the Columbia River, Holland had developed a specialty in shallow-draft and coastal vessels, especially river craft. He moved toTacoma, Washington in 1887[8] where he built a number of such vessels including the steamersState of Washington, Skagit Chief, andFairhaven. In 1889 he moved again, this time toBallard, Washington, where he started a new shipyard onSalmon Bay. In December 1889 he employed a gang of men to remove stumps and level the site on Shilshole Avenue before ship building could begin.[9] In 1890 his shipyard employed 23 workers.[10] In this new yard he builtMonte Cristo,Bailey Gatzert, Cascade[11]and Frances Henry.[5] His Ballard ship yard also repaired vessels includingHenry Bailey,[12]Josephine,[13] Fanny Lake,[14]Wasco,[15]Mabel,[16]Detroit,[17] andState of Washington.[18]
In 1892 he was commissioned to build a steamer forYukon River service. He produced the parts of the ship,Portus B. Weare, in Ballard and then traveled to theSt. Michael, Alaska trading post of the North American Transportation and Trading Company[19][20] to assemble the ship.[21] Presumably, the river craft was deemed unseaworthy to make the ocean crossing from Ballard to the Yukon.
Holland, sailed north on July 6, 1892 onAlice Blanchard, with a crew of builders from his shipyard, parts for the new steamer, and Portus B. Weare, an executive of the company for whom the ship was named. The ship was launched September 17, 1892.[22] Living in a tent on St. Michael, Holland was taken ill and returned to Ballard in October in poor health. In December he contractedtyphoid fever. While recovering, he died ofpneumonia on January 28, 1893. He left behind his wife and six children, ages 18 to 1 1/2.[5]