Originally designed as a large paddle‐wheel excursion Steamer , she later became a smaller freight/scow Steamer serving agricultural lines and freighting needs on Lake St. Clair.
The T.S. Faxton was a quintessential late‐19th-century excursion paddle‐wheeler, boasting three passenger decks and room for over 1,200 passengers for summer lake excursions. Later in her life, she was converted to a freight‐hauling scow Steamer, better suited for hauling goods rather than passengers. The Conversion left her as a functional but utilitarian vessel.
Commissioned in the 1870s as an excursion Steamer, the T.S. Faxton delighted tourists and local passengers in the Thousand Islands region for decades. In her later years, she was re‐assigned to freight duties on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River corridor, transitioning to hauling agricultural produce and other cargo. By 1901, she was permanently based at Marine City.
On 20 October 1901, while moored at Marine City dock, the Faxton caught fire and burned down to the waterline. Her Hull was destroyed, and she was declared a Total Loss immediately thereafter . No attempt was made to preserve or Rebuild her, ending her 25-year career.