Shortly after she was launched, as Gladys, in Marine City, Michigan, she was purchased by the Georgian Bay Navigation Company, which renamed her Northern Belle.
She burned shortly after arriving in Byng Inlet, the mouth of the Magnetawan River, on November 7, 1898. The fire burst out unexpectedly and her captain, C. Jacques, barely had time to beach her. There were no deaths, but not only was her cargo lost, her crew and passengers lost all their possessions.
Her wreck became a popular site for recreational divers.