The year was 1910 and signs of progress were in the air. That June, a new steam ferry for the Toronto Island Company was launched and christened the Trillium. Only briefly mentioned in the local dailies at the time, the double-end, side-padded island ferry cruised the waters of Toronto Bay for nearly fifty years. After forty-six years of service, the Trillium retired in 1956, only to be saved from the scrap yard in 1973. The Trillium made its second debut in 1976 as a fully operational steam ferry and is still in service today.

As the Trillium reaches the century mark, Mike Filey revisits the history of this fascinating Canadian ship. With a new preface and updated photographs, including some in colour. Filey traces Trillium’s remarkable rise, fall, and rebirth in a book that honours one of Toronto’s most interesting treasures.

Mike Filey was born in Toronto in 1941. He has written more than two dozen books on various facets of Toronto's past and for more than 35 years has contributed a popular column, "The Way We Were," to the Toronto Sunday Sun. His Toronto Sketches series is more popular now than ever before.

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Mike Filey’s exposition of history and people — even on our little Toronto Island — has always made for a good read. If you’re into steamboats, you’ll like the book. If you’re into Toronto Island, you’ll love it.

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