Transportation : River, Roads, Railway In 1862 the Assembly resolved that the sum of £50 to be placed at the disposal of the government to be paid to Wm. C. Bourke as an encouragement for running a new steamboat service from Charlottetown to Mount Stewart . The service was to be for passengers and freight. With the subsidy to be paid provided the service operated on a semiweekly basis touching at Cranberry, Fort Augustus , McConnelFs and Apple Tree Wharves on the passage up and down the river. 4* ii I ferif Courtesy of Public Archives The Steamer, Heather Belle Steamboat service on the Hillsborough was maintained until 1936. During the years that passenger carrying steamboats operated on the river, names of boats that were part of the service included: Rosebud, Ino, Experiment, Heather Belle , Maid of the Mist, Southport , Elfin, Heather Belle II , Acadia, Jacques Cartier , City of London and Harland.8 The Roads Colonel Franquet 9 in his report of 1751 suggested layouts for roads. There were no roads to or through Marshfield until after the Island became a British colony. Holland in his survey of 1764-1766 reported approximately 250 acres of cleared land in what is now Marshfield.10 These were previously the sites of Acadian farms. In his report done as part of his survey Holland indicated projected routes for roads to Princetown , Georgetown and St. Peters . Walter Patterson when he arrived as Governor immediately pressed for the construction of the roads indicated in Holland's survey.11 He also requested five companies of troops who could be used for defence and employed for public works from Lord Hillsborough . The road to Princetown was laid out in 1771. However, the exact date or dates that the St. Peters Road was constructed have not been determined. Governor Patterson and Council in 1774 mandated a requirement for "statute labour" on the public roads. All males aged 21 to 60 years of age were to perform between six and 18 days work on the roads. The Council was of the opinion that the "properist" season of the year to commence operations would be the beginning of October. n By 1791 the Reverend James MacGregor 9 noted the existence of a road from Charlottetown to Covehead . This road would in part, be the current road to St. Peters , from Charlottetown to York corner, then referred to as Five Mile House . By 1811 the St. Peters Road is shown on the J. Plaw map in almost its current route. In 1820 Walter Johnstone mentions that "only the road from Charlottetown to St. Peters was in such condition that any vehicle may pass it without much danger or difficulty." 13 In a journey east from Charlottetown on September 13, 1821 Johnstone describes Five Mile House and proceeding along the main road mentioning occasional views to the right of the majestic Hillsborough . 14 The St. Peters Road , while always one of the main roads on the Island, looked very different in the past. This photograph circa 1904 depicts the road looking westward toward Charlottetown from the esker near the end of the . Courtesy of Marguerite Godfrey The St. Peters Road was paved during the latter part of the 1930's. However, even up to the 1960's regular daily traffic in the winter could be a chancy affair. The winter of 1960-61 was one with incredible snow storms. The St. Peters Road between Marshfield and Charlottetown was blocked for more than a week. Road crews were attempting to open the road when another storm system was forecasted. -164-