She was 282' long after her rebuild following the 1865 boiler explosion, when 30' was added to her length.,[1] 35' beam (80' over the paddle guards) and 13' depth of hold, and rated at 1525 tons.

[3] Her paddle wheels were 32' in diameter and fitted with 10' long "buckets" (the maritime world for the wooden planks fitted to the wheel that acted as paddles) Turner, one of the most prominent Pacific Northwest maritime historians, described Yosemite as follows: The Yosemite was a beautiful ship, with broad spacious decks and ample cabin, dining and lounge space.

On October 12, 1865, as she was leaving the Rio Vista landing bound down river, her boiler (supposedly a safer "low-pressure" model) exploded, killing 58 people and scalding and injuring many more.

"[7] Two deckhands who survived the explosions then looted the bodies—they were found in possession of multiple watches, gold dust, and a great deal of cash, "most of the money being in cloth packages marked with Chinese characters.

"[7] Four employees of Maguire's Opera House were killed, and a newly elected California state senator from Amador County, G. W. Seaton, was among the dead.

The main deck and social hall were extended all the way forward to be flush with the bow, and a large dancing pavilion was installed.

[3] By the spring of 1907, Yosemite was in operation under command of Captain Grant, carrying up to 1,000 passengers at a time from Seattle to Bremerton and around Bainbridge Island.

Music was provided by Wagner's Band and food service by Lord and Meeks, a well-known Seattle catering firm.

This was in spite of the then recent loss of the General Slocum in New York, also a wooden sidewheeler, in which over 1,000 people had been killed in a fire, and the resulting threat by the Puget Sound steamboat inspectors to strictly enforce the limits on passengers that could be embarked on excursions and cruises.

[11] Among other trips, in 1908, Yosemite carried almost the entire student body of the University of Washington out into Puget Sound to greet the Great White Fleet.

[4] Perhaps somewhat incongruously with hosting boxing matches, Yosemite on July 20, 1907 or 1908, advertised a "Grand Temperance Excursion" tickets $1.00 each "under the auspices of the International Order of Good Templars": The route will cover a trip to the beauty spots of Puget Sound, Port Madison, Agate Passage, etc., the U.S. Navy Yard at Bremerton and the Big Warships, the new "Nebraska," the old "Oregon," and half dozen others; the West Passage of Vashon Island, the Narrows of Puget Sound and the beautiful island vicinity above.