Eureka for kids
The Biggest Wooden Ship. The true story of Eureka, near San Francisco, CA, told for kids.
Read along
Splash, splash! Look toward the water for a giant old wooden boat! Its name is Eureka, and it's a paddle steamboat with big wheels on its sides. It was built in 1890, and people say it's the largest wooden ship still around in the whole world!
Think of a long line of school buses. That's how huge it is. And here's a funny twist. It started life with a different name, Ukiah, after a faraway town where the railway had just reached.
Later it was renamed Eureka. Imagine your name changing in the middle of your life! Now, can you spot the big wooden ship, and make a chugging paddle-wheel sound? Chug, chug, splash!
Quiz the back seat
What was the Eureka's first name?
Show the answer
Ukiah. Ukiah! It was named for a town the railway had just reached.
3 fun facts
- Eureka is a side-wheel paddle steamboat built in 1890.
- She is the largest existing wooden ship in the world.
- She was originally named Ukiah.
For grown-ups
Every Tumbly story is checked claim by claim against the sources below before it's published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_(ferryboat)
- nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/eureka.htm
- timesheraldonline.com/2025/08/29/eureka-arrives-at-mare-island
- mareislandco.com/news-events/eureka
- facebook.com/MillValleyHistoricalSociety/posts/highway-on-the-water-ferryboat-eureka-before-the-golden-gate-bridge-with-christo/1861303720709370
- facebook.com/MarinHistory/posts/the-ss-eureka-was-built-in-1890-in-tiburon-california-for-the-san-francisco-and-/1187587358380807
Nearby stories
The Pier That Went Too Far
Look toward the water. Long ago, a pier stuck out from this shoreline farther than almost anyone thought a pier should.
The Marsh That Came Back
Look out toward the water! See the flat, soft land by the bay?
The Synagogue in a Tent
Can you picture a place of worship made of cloth? Long ago, in the Gold Rush, a small group of traders and merchants gathered in San…
The Fort Under the Bridge
Psst! Down below the bridge, right at the edge of the water, there's a real castle-looking fort made of bricks.All stories in San Francisco → · All places
Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).