Alpena in Alpena County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Steaming Open the Frontier
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018
1. Steaming Open the Frontier Marker
Steam power first appeared on the Great Lakes in 1818. The earliest "steamers" were expensive to build and operate. Constructed of wood, the vessels had shallow bottoms and were powered by large sidewheels.
For a time, these "sidewheelers" reigned supreme on the Great Lakes. Large, luxurious vessels met the demands of westward expansion. Sidewheelers carried several hundred passengers, crates of freight and livestock to frontier communities in the Midwest. On a single day in 1838, a fleet of sidewheelers carried 5,000 people from Buffalo to the western Great Lakes.
Sidewheelers remained popular for the passenger trade into the early decades of the twentieth century, but they faced tough competition against the propeller in every other trade.
Erected by Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 45° 4.032′ N, 83° 26.065′ W. Marker is in Alpena, Michigan, in Alpena County. Marker can be reached from West Fletcher Street west of Commercial Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located along the Alpena Bi-Path, on the west side of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Research Vessels (a few steps from this marker); Rising from the Ashes: The New Orleans (a few steps from this marker); Propellers (within shouting distance of this marker); The Loss of the Pewabic (within shouting distance of this marker); Bigger, Stronger, Faster (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Shipbuilding Revolution (about 300 feet away); Fast Steel Flyer: The Bulk Freighter Grecian (about 400 feet away); International Shipmaster's Association (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alpena.
More about this marker. Marker is a large composite plaque, mounted waist-high on a metal supporting rack.
Also see . . .
1. Commercial Steam Vessels. The steam-powered vessels that first appeared above Niagara in 1818 copied some of the essential elements of the Great Lakes sailing vessel: wood hull, schooner rigged, and shallow bottomed. The first vessels were sidewheelers and most were used in the passenger and package freight trades where the profits were the highest and the demands for reliable service greatest. Large and elaborate vessels were constructed to meet the
July 23, 2018
2. Marker detail: the sidewheeler City of Alpena docked along the Thunder Bay River in 1910
2. The Palace Steamers of the Great Lakes. The Palace Steamer is a type of vessel that started to operate on the Great Lakes from 1844 to 1857. It’s very name implies that this was a luxurious vessel. Palace steamers marked the high point of Great Lakes passenger service. The fact is that many steamers whether on the Great Lakes or on this nation’s rivers referred to themselves as “palaces” because of their luxurious appointments. There were some twenty-five of these ships built specifically for Great Lakes transportation. The vessels sported stained glass windows and domes, parlors, saloons, beautiful carpeting and the finest of furniture. The Palace steamer was the first class way to travel the Great Lakes in the decades before the American Civil War. (Submitted on August 19, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Marker sidebar photos
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018
4. Steaming Open the Frontier Marker (wide view; looking north; Alpena Bi-Path in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 19, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
