Matthew McDowell was a steamboat owner and builder associated with the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.
McDowell was born on February 18, 1850, to Matthew McDowell and Mary Jane Young in Eden, County Antrim and was one of 9 kids. He left home at age 15 to work as a coal passer for steamers on the Anchor Line. He had three sons and one daughter, all of whom were associated with his steamboat business. His three sons, Albert(George Alexander), Robert, and John, served as engineers and eventually all qualified as masters. His daughter Mary acted as purser. Mary later married Arthur Thompson, who became a well-known Puget Sound pilot.[1]
McDowell's fleet was originally based in Tacoma, near the smelter. He often slept on one of his boats, especially if he was to be its captain the following morning. Once a vessel he was sleeping in was nearly run down by a large steamer, so in 1905 Captain McDowell bought 80acres of land on Brown's Point.
McDowell built a house and dock near the lighthouse. He called his new home Caledonia, after the poetic name for Scotland. His boats served landings Dumas Bay, Lakota, Adelaide, Redondo, Des Moines, Zenith, Maury, Portage, Chautauqua, Vashon Island, Tacoma and Seattle. As the permanent population and the summer vacationers increased, his business thrived. He later built a dance hall next to his dock, and transported patrons to it on the D fleet steamers.[2]
In early 1890s, McDowell operated the propeller steamer Quickstep (built at Astoria in 1877) as a towboat on Puget Sound.[3]
In 1897, McDowell built his first boat. Defiance (I), at Caledonia, near Tacoma. She was 60.5 long and rated at 85 tons. Defiance (I) was the first of six steamboats launched by Captain McDowell, all beginning with the letter "D" and all built at the Crawford and Reid ship yard. In each case, Captain McDowell took personal charge of the construction.[3]
Boats built or reconstructed by Captain McDowell for his "D Fleet" included
The D Fleet also is reported to have operated Monticello (built 1906).[4]
Ready sources do not give much information on the later days of Captain McDowell. The webpage of a local historical society states that Captain McDowell anticipated a decline in passenger business as the demand grew for automobile ferries, and began selling his fleet in 1918 while steamers were still in demand, retiring completely from the steamer service in August 1919.[2] It is known that he lived to the age of 94 years. He died in Tacoma on December 15, 1944.