The Joys was launched in 1884 from the Milwaukee Ship Yard Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, built specifically for the lumber trade. This vessel was named after the company's secretary and treasurer, Andrew M. Joys. It was first enrolled on October 1, 1884. Information regarding the ship is scant from 1884-1892. In 1885, the list of owners expanded to include several Milwaukee residents beyond the original co-owners. A new enrollment listed Conrad Starke and James Sheriffs each owning a 4/12th share, the Milwaukee Ship Yard Company with 1/12th, and John Joys, A.M. Joys, and C.W. Norris, each with 1/12th share. L. Olsen was entered as master.

The Joys appears to have navigated the Lakes without incident until 1890. That year, both the vessel's enrollments and its physical structure experienced changes. For unknown reasons, Conrad Starke sold his share of the vessel to James Sheriffs, James transferred his 2/3 share to Christine Sheriffs (most likely his wife), and Robert Winkler maintained his 1/3 share. Two months following the change in ownership, the Joys collided with the schooner Boyce near Chicago. As a result, both the pilothouse and spar were lost and needed replacement. During the last three years of its career, the Joys began to show signs of aging and therefore underwent series of improvements. Starting in the 1897 and 1898 seasons, the Joys transported primarily stone resulting from the declining lumber industry and ascending stone industry in Sturgeon Bay.
In the early morning of December 24, 1898, the Joys was docked at its moorings at the west end of the Sturgeon Bay Canal when a fire broke out. According to a report by the Door County Advocate, the fire "originated from a smoke stack in the vicinity of the breeching, consuming the after cabin first," which conflicted with a statement by the Door County Democrat that the fire started in the hold. Captain Connelly was the first to spot the fire. The fire apparently spread so quickly that many of the crew nearly lost their lives. Some crew members, including the mate and steward, had rooms close to the fire and were forced to jump from the ship onto the ice wearing nothing but their shirts. None of the crew, except for Captain Connelly, was able to save any of their possessions. Connelly supposedly saved the ship's papers but later lost the books and most of the accounts in the excitement. The crew attempted to stop the fire from spreading by using the mooring line to head the vessel into the wind. Before they could accomplish this, however, the mooring lines burned, and the current carried the Joys towards the canal office and government warehouse. Eventually, the burning Joys was towed back to its mooring where it burned to the waterline and sank.

A week later, the vessel was surrendered to the insurance company as a total loss. The Joys was valued at $15,000 and carried $14,000 worth of fire insurance. The Joys was purchased by Leathem and Smith to salvage what they could. The following April they raised the hull using the wrecking tug Wright which removed the boiler, later to be used in the tugSmith. By May it was determined that the damage was too great to rebuild the hull, and since it was a hazard to navigation at its current location, they moved it to Dunlap Reef and beached it. Several tons of iron, mostly bolts, were taken from her hull, while the propeller wheel, shaft, rudder and shoe were also removed. What was remaining of the burned-out hull was then moved and used as a breaker on the north side of the Pankratz Lumber Company's dock.
The Joys rests on a silty and sandy bottom under approximately ten feet of water. The vessel is located in the waters of Sturgeon Bay approximately 500 feet west Sunset Park, just north of the Bay Shipbuilding Company. The wreck is parallel to shore in a north-south orientation, with the bow facing north. The Joys site includes an articulated hull below the waterline, artifacts such as iron fastenings and molding, and evidence of an engine bed and propeller. The most obvious attribute of the wreck was heavy black charring on most timbers inside and outside the wreck. In most places, the scantlings are narrowed, and the ceiling is almost completely burned away. Despite the extensive charring, most of the vessel is extant below the waterline from bow to stern.

The Joys wreck site was documented in 2005. Although little cultural artifacts remain, the Joys' broken and opened hull has produced important archaeological data on steam barge construction and use.