An iconic photo taken by historian Mike Filey shows three canoeists paddling out of a partly submerged, abandoned Toronto ferry.
Reproduced in an expanded edition of his 1976 book, Trillium and Toronto Island, the picture taken three years earlier captured the fate of many Lake Ontario steamships.
But in this case instead of being scrapped, the century-old paddlewheeler was raised and refitted after Filey and his wife, Yarmila, launched a bid to save the vessel after seeing it "literally rotting" in a Toronto island lagoon.
They enlisted the support of then alderman Art Eggleton, a friend, future mayor and senator and later Paul Godfrey, who was metro chairman at the time.
Metro parks commissioner Tommy Thompson determined the newer ferries could not handle summer crowds and rebuilding Trillium with a steel deck and aluminum superstructure would cost $1 million, compared with up to $20 million for a replacement. Marine consultant Gordon Champion concluded the steel hull and engine parts were salvageable.
In the book's foreword, Eggleton recalls that for him and some others, a key factor was Trillium's "living history" link with Toronto's past "and the enjoyment ... future generations would have."
In service since 1976, the only remaining steam-powered vessel in the city's fleet is used primarily for touring the harbour.
Filey's book includes images of the peninsula an 1858 storm turned into over 20 small and large islands, horse-powered 1840s ferries, photos of passengers and other vessels - including one torched to thrill crowds in 1929, the old waterfront and the current fleet against a backdrop of the modern city.
Built for $75,000 at a Sherbourne St. slip, Trillium was launched June 18, 1910.
The wooden-sided 1,450-passenger double-decker was the Toronto Ferry Company's second of two big carriers, duplicating the 1906 Bluebell.
Trillium began making regular voyages to the Hanlan's Point playground - "Canada's Coney Island."
But with several new, faster and less-polluting diesel-powered ferries, the two steamers were retired in the 1950s.
The stripped Bluebell was sunk in 1976, becoming a breakwater at the Leslie St. Spit's southern tip. Trillium was sold to the Metro Toronto works fepartment as a garbage scow.
But towed near Hanlan's Point in 1958, the once-proud, vessel became a habitat for wildlife and was targeted by thieves "who stole all the original brass fittings," Filey said in an interview.
Metro works crews periodically pumped out the hull, likely saving the steel from further deterioration.
The now 500-passenger ferry is being freshly painted, its electrical system and boilers checked, prior to receiving centennial guests June 18.
"It's unlike an automobile, where you use a throttle on the floor or a steering wheel to turn a corner," Filey said of metre-tall brass levers that control the engine's speed and direction of the paddles, as the engineer receives instructions from the wheelhouse.
"Trillium is slow, compared to the truck engines on the other boats," he said. But unlike the shuddering felt through the other ferry hulls, "it's a calming ride."
A key visitor on June 18 will be Jane Aitken, daughter of Phyllis Osler, who christened Trillium 100 years ago and attended the 1976 relaunch.
Visitors can tour the harbour and visit Centre Island on July's five Fridays. Trillium will then be available for charters.
Filey will be signing copies of his book aboard Trillium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 29 and 30 as part of Doors Open Toronto activities.