Great Lakes shipping is a key component to the regional economy. The shipping industry is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to transport large quantities of raw materials, such as iron ore, coal and heating oil. Extending the shipping . . . — — Map (db m138486) HM
Boats delivered products from all over the world to Michilimackinac during the 1700s. After long, arduous journeys they often needed to be repaired here.
Based on artifacts found at this site, such as 1770s sailmaker's needles, and the . . . — — Map (db m138441) HM
Railroad construction across America boomed in the second half of the 1800s, spurred on by technological improvements and demand for distant products. Getting rail cars across the Straits required special boats.
Railroads were completed on . . . — — Map (db m105945) HM
Chief Wawatam, an Ojibway Indian living at the Straits of Mackinac, befriended the British fur trader Alexander Henry as a brother. During the Indian attack on Fort Michilimackinac in 1763, Wawatam protected his friend and cared for him as a member . . . — — Map (db m131697) HM
Chief Wawatam was revered for his bravery and fidelity
Chief Wawatam, an Ojibway Indian living at the Straits of Mackinac, treated the British fur trader Alexander Henry as a brother. During the Indian attack on Fort Michilimackinac in . . . — — Map (db m214253) HM
Fishing became the subsistence occupation in Mackinaw when the fur trading industry collapsed in the 1840s. It has continued to be a major employer for over 170 years.
The first large fishery on this site was built in 1892 and was owned . . . — — Map (db m138430) HM
This interesting building with its tall chimney and copper roof was built in 1890, two years before the construction of the Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse next door. It was built to house the large steam operated fog signal. The deep booming sound . . . — — Map (db m154597) HM
The Griffin, the first ship on the Upper Great Lakes, disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679.
Since then the Lakes have swallowed over 10,000 vessels.
Early wooden ships were often lost to on-board fires.
Many others were destroyed by . . . — — Map (db m107191) HM
Harvested in Mackinaw, shipped around the Great Lakes, the ice was used to cool food and people.
Selling ice for refrigeration to the fish houses, railroads, and homes was big business from the late 1800s to World War II, and Mackinaw . . . — — Map (db m138336) HM
The Mackinac Straits, with its narrow passage and the many reefs and shoals to the east and west, has been one of the most dangerous points on the Great Lakes for sailors since the late seventeenth century, evidenced by the many shipwrecks in the . . . — — Map (db m154598) HM
The strategic importance of the Great Lakes during the fur trade made Michilimackinac a well-known name throughout the world by all the superpowers of the time. Before trains and cars were invented, people of the Great Lakes traveled on the . . . — — Map (db m140741) HM
Passenger ferries to Mackinac Island have existed since the late 1870s. Today three ferry lines serve the island.
Transportation across the Straits of Mackinac, whether to St. Ignace or Mackinac Island, began with the versatile birch . . . — — Map (db m140733) HM
The Mackinaw Boat was designed for northern Great Lakes conditions
The Mackinaw boat was the work boat of fur traders, fishermen, settlers and lake travelers for hundreds of years, from the early 1700s to the early 1900s.
The hull . . . — — Map (db m140770) HM
Mackinaw City Railroad Dock
Before the Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957, ships were the only means of connecting Michigan's peninsulas. During the 1870s, small sailing vessels served as ferries. Steamboats took over when the Michigan Central . . . — — Map (db m131700) HM
During the Civil War and after the battle in Mobile Bay, naval historians called this gun, the 9-inch Dahlgren, the gun "that won the Civil War". We are very lucky to have these three relics from the Civil War here in Makinaw City, Michigan. The . . . — — Map (db m138764) HM
Mackinaw residents have long rendered services to passing ships. One of the most interesting was The Marine & Weather Reporting Service, established in 1877 by Forest J. Stimpson. Stimpson made daily reports on weather conditions at the Straits . . . — — Map (db m141154) HM
Michigan State Ferry System (side 1)
In 1923, in response to increasing automobile traffic, the Michigan Highway Department established the Michigan State Ferry System to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas by transporting travelers . . . — — Map (db m131696) HM
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was established in 1889. The fog signal went into
operation in 1890 and the tower and dwelling were completed in 1892 For over 60 years,
four generations of lighthouse keepers and their families lived at the . . . — — Map (db m214025) HM
This light is opposite the turning point for ships making the difficult passage through the Straits of Mackinac, one of the busiest crossroads of the Great Lakes. McGulpin's Point light, two miles to the west, had been established in 1856, but it . . . — — Map (db m40053) HM
The construction of railroads into Northern Michigan closely followed the lumbering industry. In 1881, the Michigan Central completed its line into Mackinaw, and the Mackinac and Marquette reached St. Ignace in the same year. To complete the . . . — — Map (db m138432) HM
When mankind took to the water, shipwrecks were inevitable.
As long as canoes and boats have sailed the Great Lakes there have been shipwrecks. Many have occurred in the Straits of Mackinac with its narrow channels, shoals, and harsh and . . . — — Map (db m131758) HM
The Algomah sank at the Cheboygan docks in July 1942 and was raised two years later. She was towed to Mackinaw City, filled with stone, and sunk to form the breakwall at the end of Shelpler's ferry dock. In 1947, Captain William Shepler, . . . — — Map (db m105883) HM
The Meneely bell atop this tower helped guide the train ferries Chief Wawatam and Sainte Marie in foggy weather to the New York Central Railroad Dock in Mackinaw City.
The bell, cast in 1890 in Troy, N.Y., was in service until 1952 and . . . — — Map (db m138340) HM
These cannons are famous
Admiral David Farragut made these guns famous in the Civil War during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Tied to the mast of the USS Hartford to see over
the smoke the cannons created, he is quoted as saying "Damn . . . — — Map (db m216774) HM
Straits of Mackinac - a juncture in travel
Transportation through the Straits of Mackinac has changed dramatically over the centuries. The earliest inhabitants travelled by boat and found the Straits a convenient east-west highway linking . . . — — Map (db m232261) HM
Ice-Age glaciers covered the Whitefish Bay Area for thousands of years and left behind a complex mosaic of sand, gravel and clay. Following the last glacier's retreat about 10,000 years ago, water and wind shaped these deposits into the landscape of . . . — — Map (db m154413) HM
This point of land is the historic battleground where the westward invasion by the Iroquois Indians was halted by the victorious Chippewa.
Off the point colorful French-Canadian voyageurs paddled canoes heavily laden with furs. The 18th century . . . — — Map (db m4452) HM
Unlike more remote or isolated stations surrounded by water, life at Point Iroquois included many land-based activities and contacts with neighbors. Lighthouse Service rules and regulations strongly encouraged self-sufficiency through the use of . . . — — Map (db m154409) HM
Side One:
Located where the St. Marys River enters Lake Huron from Lake Superior, DeTour Passage separates the Upper Peninsula from Drummond Island. It has long been a choke point for Great Lakes shipping. Anticipating increased traffic as a . . . — — Map (db m70781) HM
Anchor from the SS M.M. Drake
on loan from the State of
Michigan. The Drake (constructed
in 1882) was a wooden steam barge
that towed consorts loaded with
coal and iron ore on the Great
Lakes. The Drake sank on
October 6, 1901 . . . — — Map (db m214015) HM
Whitefish Point has been called the graveyard of Lake Superior. Since navigation began on Lake Superior there has been approximately 550 wrecks. More vessels were lost in the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior. There are three . . . — — Map (db m198451) HM
This light, the oldest active on Lake Superior, began operating in 1849, though the present tower was constructed later. Early a stopping place for Indians, voyageurs, and Jesuit missionaries, the point marks a course change for ore boats and other . . . — — Map (db m40054) HM
In 1849 the Whitefish Point lighthouse was put into service. Soon after the township was organized in 1888, lumber towns such as Emerson and Shelldrake emerged at the mouth of the Tahquamenon and Shelldrake rivers. Paradise was established in . . . — — Map (db m214012) HM
It is impossible on a panel this size to give a comprehensive sample of the types of vessels that have plied the St. Marys River over the centuries. This one features larger boats of the last 150 years.
The Wilfred Sykes, launched in 1949, . . . — — Map (db m214150) HM
1,000 Feet Long · Launched 1981
Halfway there!
You have now made it approximately halfway. Think of how far you have already walked and imagine being a deckhand responsible for painting or shoveling the deck of a boat 1,000 feet long and 105 . . . — — Map (db m224380) HM
1,004 Feet Long · Launched 1978
Do they go to the Atlantic Ocean?
Footers cannot go beyond Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. The locks in the Welland Canal, bypassing Niagara Falls to connect Lakes Erie and Ontario, cannot take vessels over 740 . . . — — Map (db m224379) HM
1,000 Feet Long · Launched 1980
Do they lock through often?
Footers make regular runs between loading docks on Lake Superior and the harbors large enough to serve them on the lower lakes. Most are through the locks about every three days, . . . — — Map (db m224382) HM
The Weitzel Lock was the first at the Sault to fill and empty the lock chamber using valves built into the floor. The easier State Lock moved water through opening in the gates creating turbulence in the chamber. The churning waters in the lock made . . . — — Map (db m214168) HM
In 1845, the Independence became the first steam vessel on Lake Superior.
Arriving below the falls in 1845, the 105 foot long vessel was hauled out of the water and portaged nearly a mile around the falls and re-launched above the rapids.
The . . . — — Map (db m214167) HM
Built in 1899 this building housed the local office of the Weather Bureau. From here, they monitored conditions, made forecasts and hand delivered weather reports to passing vessels.
Ship-to-shore radio made it less important to have a . . . — — Map (db m214170) HM
The maritime professionals who sail the ships on the Great Lakes are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their fraternal organization, the I. M. S. A. whose purpose is stated in the Association's constitution, "The purpose of this association's . . . — — Map (db m214171) HM
James R. Barker
1,004 feet long. Launched in 1976
How big is a 1000 foot-long boat?
Imagine yourself standing at the stern of one of these boats.
Following the arrows walk from the stern to bow and learn more about each of the thirteen . . . — — Map (db m224384) HM
1,013.5 Feet Long · Launched 1981
It's a long way from the bow to the stern of the thirteen-footers on the Great Lakes. The Paul R. Tregurtha is the biggest of them all, giving her the title "Queen of the Great Lakes."
You reached the bow! . . . — — Map (db m224373) HM
Tug & Barge · 1,000 Feet Long · Launched 1973
A 1,000-foot-long tug boat?
The Presque Isle is the only integrated tug/barge footer. It was designed to operate with the smaller crew of a tug boat and the cargo capacity of a footer. After sea . . . — — Map (db m224378) HM
The Marquette was owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her home port was Duluth, Minnesota. The Marquette was built in 1942 by Equitable Equipment Co. at New Orleans, Louisiana. She measured 103 feet long, 26 feet wide, and 11 . . . — — Map (db m214169) HM
This city, the oldest in the Midwest, grew up about the mission of Fathers Dablon and Marquette, founded in 1668 on the banks of the rapids through which Lake Superiors waters commence their long journey seaward. In 1641 Fathers Jogues and . . . — — Map (db m213446) HM
On this site in 1822-23 a water power Saw Mill the first power manufacturing plant in the north country was built by Fort Brady personnel — — Map (db m214166) HM
St. Marys Falls Canal has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark Under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of the . . . — — Map (db m143700) HM
This statue of St. Mary is placed in this location to reflect the namesake of the St. Marys River and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie. It was originally located in the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Detroit for many years and moved to this . . . — — Map (db m214162) HM
1,000 Feet Long · Launched 1972
Why does only one have a forward pilothouse?
The first footer, the Cort, is the only one with a forward pilothouse. The twelve footers that followed placed all accommodations and the pilot house at the stern . . . — — Map (db m224381) HM
This historic three ton anchor was donated to the college in 1969, by the Alumni Association. The anchor came from the V.H. Ketcham, a wooden iron ore freighter, the first vessel operated by Pickings Mather & Co. It was a pioneer, being the first . . . — — Map (db m213462) HM
A thick layer of stone holds back the waters of Laker Superior and creates rapids here where the waters of Lake Superior drop 21 feet at the head of the St. Marys River.
Without this layer of stone between Lake Superior and the St. Marys . . . — — Map (db m224367) HM
The origination of the Au Sale Riverboat at Grayling about 1872 by Reuben S. Babbitt Sr.
an early settler, guide and operator of fishing camps on the Au Sable and Manistee rivers.
Unique to the Au Sable the boat fitted a special need for fishing . . . — — Map (db m213394) HM
Escanaba: The Port
It was the abundant timber that first lured settlers to the area to start sawmill communities along rivers flowing into the bay. Although Escanaba itself was not heavily wooded, as a port it became a commercial hub for . . . — — Map (db m137157) HM
At your immediate left, the first dock you see is the decaying Chicago and Northwestern Railway Dock, locally called the Merchant's Dock. Most of Escanaba's freight and passengers to and from the South and East came and went over this dock before . . . — — Map (db m137161) HM
Sand Point Lighthouse
From 1868 to 1939 the Sand Point Lighthouse warned mariners of the spit of land extending into Little Bay de Noc at the entrance to Escanaba Harbor. The U.S. Congress authorized construction of the lighthouse in 1864, . . . — — Map (db m137333) HM
Possessed of both a deep channel and protection by the natural break waters of Sand Point, Escanaba has a top rated natural harbor. Since Escanaba's beginning, the timber trade shipped from this harbor, and the Lake Schooners Fleet dominated the . . . — — Map (db m137290) HM
The growth of Escanaba from a small town into a growing city in such a brief time can be traced directly to the expansion of lake shipping in this port. Over the years, Escanaba harbor has seen times of boom and bust in the fishing, lumber and . . . — — Map (db m137286) HM
Escanaba River: The Legend
This is the land of the Chippewa Indians and the legendary Hiawatha. Indian villages existed along the banks of the river, and Indians were living here when the first white men came to this region in the 1600's. . . . — — Map (db m139220) HM
Fayette looks like a little Chicago this week; the harbor is full of boats and business is brisk. Schoolcraft County Pioneer 1881
Four warehouses stood on a wharf off this point of land. Vessels like the steam barge Fayette . . . — — Map (db m128864) HM
Donald McLeod of Green Bay purchased Alden Chandler's water-powered mill, the first sawmill built on the Escanaba River, and in 1844 sold it to John and Joseph Smith. Chandler was again "first" when he became the first postmaster serving . . . — — Map (db m139246) HM
Front Side
Horatio Hall built this mill for Manlius Mann in 1854. Powered by water from the Battle Creek, a three-town overshot waterwheel in the basement turned three pairs of millstones that ground grain from local farmers into flour. . . . — — Map (db m166296) HM
The dam at Bennett Park was built around 1907 to provide cooling water for a stream generated water works facility. Additionally, it served as a local recreational attraction for many members of the community who would swim and fish here. The . . . — — Map (db m126182) HM
Look to your left and up to see the water tank built in 1909. There, an enterprising photographer took this photograph, perhaps the first aerial view of Grand Ledge. He captured a section of the Grand River where the north and south sides were . . . — — Map (db m125656) HM
Looking down hill from this area you may notice a pond. Once two types of shale were processed from this quarry and used for brick making. It was said that at one time this quarry was over 60 feet deep and that during the last years of operations . . . — — Map (db m122653) HM
Skillagalee Island Light
Located 12 miles northwest of Cross Village. First established in 1850, the present Light was built in 1888. There are many shipwrecks near this island, in an area known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes."
Grays . . . — — Map (db m97851) HM
How Did the Odawa Survive? When the Odawa were living on the waterfront in the Straits what was their life like? What did they eat? What did they do? And wouldn't it be wonderful if we could ascertain what they thought? Here are the few answers . . . — — Map (db m154599) HM
Native families settle in the Straits area Following the glacial retreat 11,000 years ago, Anishnaabek people began to populate Lower Michigan, drawn here by plentiful natural resources. This land holds tremendous cultural value to the local . . . — — Map (db m154601) HM
Old and cold, the Bradley broke into two pieces and sank in a severe storm. Sister ship to the Cedarville, they both now lie on the bottom within 35 miles of each other. It was the end of the season and the Bradley departed . . . — — Map (db m154689) HM
Ice in April, Fog in May Poor visibility, poor communications, and poor decisions sank the Cedarville. The 604-foot Cedarville set out from near Rogers City, midway up Lake Huron, with a load of 14,400 tons of limestone headed for . . . — — Map (db m154690) HM
At the end of this trail, "Chi-Sin" rests on the shoreline of the Straits of Mackinac.
In Anishnaabek, the language of the indigenous people, the Odawa Indians, Chi-Sin means literally "Big Rock." The Big Rock at the McGulpin Point shoreline . . . — — Map (db m154699) HM
The Mackinac Bridge A Long-Term Success
More than 60 years old, the Mackinac Bridge is still the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The world's longest, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, was only built in 1998 after the . . . — — Map (db m201405) HM
Eber Ward hit ice, sank quickly Entering the Straits from the west the captain saw what he thought was slush ice. He reported that he slowed the boat and completely stopped the engines before hitting the ice pack that ripped open the bow . . . — — Map (db m154688) HM
This fort, built about 1715, put French soldiers at the Straits for the first time since 1701. French authority ceased in 1761 when the British troops entered the fort. On June 2, 1763, during Pontiac's uprising, Chippewa Indians seized the fort, . . . — — Map (db m7670) HM
Tuesday, Nov. 14, 1876Two 16-year-old boys among the five scalded to death on the tug Bennett A cold November night in 1876 the James W. Bennett ran hard aground near Epoufette. The crew had to spend the . . . — — Map (db m154687) HM
Family
James and Madeline Davenport raised a lighthouse family, spending 28 years at McGulpin.
James worked on schooners until he married Madeline in April of 1870. They moved to Mackinaw City and he acquired a job as 1st assistant keeper at . . . — — Map (db m201407) HM
Post-war life at McGulpin Point With the turn into the 1800s, the social and economic systems in the Mackinaw area become more predictable. During this period Patrick McGulpin, now 60 years old, stopped having children and became a grandfather . . . — — Map (db m154820) HM
One of the 19 boats rushing from Chicago to provide grains to the east coast markets. One of two boats to sink in the icy water of the Straits. Pulling two schooners, the steam-powered Minneapolis was slow to arrive in the Straits. By the . . . — — Map (db m154686) HM
The old and tired Barnum heads out Although being deemed unseaworthy and under the command of a 29-year-old captain, his first season at the helm of the Barnum, the Barnum's crew expected a quick trip to nearby Port Huron . . . — — Map (db m154682) HM
For centuries this region has been the home of Ottawa Indians, whose warriors and orators fought bravely to retain their land. Around 1700 a mission was built by French Jesuits at the famous L'Arbre Croche villages which stretched from Cross . . . — — Map (db m55405) HM
This Dahlgren IX inch cannon was aboard the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut's flagship during the most vital naval battles of the Civil War. New Orleans, the South's largest and richest city, was captured by his fleet in 1862. For this . . . — — Map (db m97915) HM WM
This gun
is one of twenty six nine inch guns
composing the battery of
Admiral Farragut's
historic-flagship
"Hartford"
during the War of the Rebellion,
1861-1865
at the battles of
New Orleans, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, . . . — — Map (db m97916) HM WM
Preston Bradley Water Wheel Dedicated September 6, 1971
In Commemoration of Dr. Preston Bradley
Born in Linden Michigan Aug 18, 1888
A renowned minister. A Founder of the Izaak Walton League of America, eminent author and international . . . — — Map (db m189662) HM
By the mid 1850's, shipping on Grand Traverse Bay had grown substantially. A Lighthouse on the northern tip of Old Mission Peninsula, to warn of the rocky point, was necessary. In 1859 Congress appropriated the funds, however the Light was not . . . — — Map (db m98186) HM
When lighthouses first operated, sperm whale oil used to fuel the lamps was kept in the basement. However, in the late 1800s, when kerosene was introduced as fuel for the lights, it was much too flammable and dangerous to store in the Lighthouse, . . . — — Map (db m98185) HM
The bathroom of earlier days was not much like the bathrooms of today. With no indoor plumbing, most privies or outhouses were holes in the ground with sheds and seats over them and were located several feet from the main home. When the hole . . . — — Map (db m98184) HM
This 6.4 inch 100 Pounder Parrot[t] Rifled Naval Cannon served on the U.S.S. Sabine during the Civil War. It is the only one from that ship that survives today. The cannon was cast in 1862 at the West Point Foundry (Registration #15 Foundry #210) . . . — — Map (db m98250) HM WM
This house was built in 1907 for Wilkie and Rhoda Waggoner Drake. Upon graduating from medical school in 1902, Wilkie Drake (1875-1963) practiced near Detroit and then came to Breckenridge to begin a career that lasted nearly sixty years. After the . . . — — Map (db m106658) HM
Camp Woodbury
On July 2, 1862, President
Abraham Lincoln issued a
call for troops for the Union
Army. Men from Monroe,
Hillsdale and Lenawee
counties met in Hillsdale to
form the Eighteenth
Michigan Infantry Regiment.
Local mill . . . — — Map (db m165558) HM
In 1868 the Reverend Manasseh Hickey and twelve settlers organized a Methodist Episcopal church in Caseville. Services were held in a schoolhouse until the present church was built. Upon its dedication on November 15, 1874, the Gothic-inspired . . . — — Map (db m153555) HM
Michigan's Coastal Sand Dunes...like no others on earth
In the Great Lakes region, sand dunes are one of our most striking landforms.
They became a part of our coastal scenery a mere 3-4,000 years ago when a receding
lake level exposed an . . . — — Map (db m239412) HM
During a tremendous storm on November 29, 1966, the 60-year-old, 586 foot long Daniel J. Morrell broke in two and sank North of Harbor Beach.
The ship was plowing through near hurricane force winds and waves higher than a three-story building. . . . — — Map (db m213519) HM
During the mid 1800s, sailing ships of all sizes transported lumber, iron ore, and copper from Michigan's vast forests and Upper Peninsula mines. The
lumber was in demand to build the cities of Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, and other Midwest cities. . . . — — Map (db m213505) HM
On October 25, 1876, a lighthouse was erected on the north side of the main entrance of the harbor. A light, visible for 3 miles, guided ships to the safety of the new Government Harbor of Refuge
The "skeleton" design light tower, with the lamp . . . — — Map (db m213507) HM
In the 1880s, Sand Beach was a very busy port city. Ships delivered supplies, and products produced in the area were shipped out. The large amount of ship
traffic required that a life saving service station be built.
The original station was . . . — — Map (db m213520) HM
Since man first inhabited the thumb area of Michigan, Lake Huron has been the most important mode of transportation. Long before there were wagon trails or railroads the lake provided a method for Native Americans and pioneers to travel and . . . — — Map (db m213508) HM
On the Great Lakes, November is well known for its horrendous storms which turn the lakes into a boiling cauldron of wind and waves. There is one storm which was the deadliest and most destructive storm to ever occur on the Great Lakes; "The Great . . . — — Map (db m213510) HM
Bring Back The Light!
Augustin-Jean Fresnel (pronounced Fruh-nell), a nineteenth century French physicist, is credited with inventing the compound lenses which are still widely used in lighthouses.
The Fresnel lens appears much like a . . . — — Map (db m213482) HM
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