The "Chicora" was built in 1864 by William C. Miller & Son, Birkenhead, England. She was built as a freighter for the Chicora Import & Export Company, Charleston, North Carolina. She was used as a blockade runner to bring goods past Union blockades in Confederate parts during the Civil War. The "Chicora" ran the blockade under an alias: Let Her B. When the war ended, the "Chicora" was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1867 she was remodeled for overnight passenger service. In 1878 she became the first vessel sailing for the newly formed Niagara Navigation Company, running between Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Lewiston. She made her last trip September 7, 1914