Snagboats like Samson V, the last intact example of such a vessel in Canada, performed a crucial function in the commercial and navigational history of the province. Operated by the federal Department of Public Works, these steam-powered sternwheelers were used to remove hazardous “snags” in the water and to maintain aids to navigation, bridges, and wharves on some of British Columbia’s most important transportation, fishing, and logging rivers. A shallow draft and the location of the paddle wheel in the stern allowed these highly manoeuvrable vessels to operate on relatively shallow, fast-flowing rivers.