Governor Grover was built in 1873 for the Willamette River Navigation Company[5] which had been formed to compete with the monopoly on the river that was then held by the People's Transportation Company, which by 1873 had come under the control of steamboat and stagecoach magnate Ben Holladay.

Among the backers of the Willamette River Navigation Company were the important businessman Bernard Goldsmith and the steamboat men Jacob Kamm and Joseph Kellogg, with the latter supervising construction of the Grover.

[6] Shortly after construction Governor Grover passed into the ownership of the Willamette Falls Locks and Canal Company.

Governor Grover worked on the Willamette River and, on March 18, 1873, was the first large vessel to go as far upriver as Harrisburg.

[2][6] Grover achieved some success in driving down rates, and became popular among the farmers of the Willamette Valley.