Alpena in Alpena County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018
1. Bigger, Stronger, Faster Marker
The Rend (1888-1917), at one time a wooden bulk freighter, is located in 17 feet of water in the Thunder Bay National Maritime Sanctuary.
Inscription.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster. . At the time of the U.S. Civil War, thousands of sailing ships worked the Great Lakes. Despite their impressive numbers, these sailing vessels struggled hardly able to keep pace with the enormous demands for bulk cargos generated by America's fast-growing population and industry. In 1869, larger and more efficient wooden bulk freighters were introduced to satisfy these needs. Bulk freighters were characterized by the placement of the pilot house at the front of the ship and all the machinery toward the stern, leaving a continuous hold specifically for bulk cargo. Large and swift, bulk freighters could carry three times the amount of cargo carried by the average schooner and journeyed three times as fast. Bulk freighters often towed barges behind them, which carried their own cargo as well. In the face of such competition, traditional schooners quickly became obsolete.
At the time of the U.S. Civil War, thousands of sailing ships worked the Great Lakes. Despite their impressive numbers, these sailing vessels struggled hardly able to keep pace with the enormous demands for bulk cargos generated by America's fast-growing population and industry. In 1869, larger and more efficient wooden bulk freighters were introduced to satisfy these needs. Bulk freighters were characterized by the placement of the pilot house at the front of the ship and all the machinery toward the stern, leaving a continuous hold specifically for bulk cargo. Large and swift, bulk freighters could carry three times the amount of cargo carried by the average schooner and journeyed three times as fast. Bulk freighters often towed barges behind them, which carried their own cargo as well. In the face of such competition, traditional schooners quickly became obsolete.
is in Alpena, Michigan, in Alpena County. It 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 complex, beside the Thunder Bay River. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 480 West Fletcher Street, Alpena MI 49707, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula and in one of the Lake Huron Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
More about this marker. Marker is a large composite plaque, mounted waist-high on a metal supporting rack.
Also see . . . Vessel Types on the Great Lakes. Minnesota's Lake Superior Shipwrecks website entry (Submitted on December 18, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018
3. Bigger, Stronger, Faster Marker (wide view looking west along Thunder Bay River)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 263 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 25, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
