Michigan State Ferries

Michigan State Ferries
Author: Les Bagley
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738550688

For half a century, the Mackinac Bridge has connected Michigan's peninsulas. Before that, only ferryboats crossed the historic Straits of Mackinac. Huge, ice-crushing railroad ferries first appeared in the 1880s. But by the 1920s, growing automobile ownership, improved roads, and creative tourism promotion brought demands for better, cheaper, and more frequent service. Politicians listened, and in 1923, Michigan became the first state to operate a ferry as part of its highway department. The "Great White Fleet" began with just a tiny used boat and ended with a flotilla including the largest, most powerful ice-breaking ferry in the world. The operation became the biggest employer in the region while battling severe winter weather, partisan politics, and ever-growing lines of summer motorists. Over 34 years, Michigan State ferries united communities, built businesses, and transported millions of eager tourists and travelers across the Great Lakes' "Water Wonderland."

Ninety Years Crossing Lake Michigan

Ninety Years Crossing Lake Michigan
Author: Grant Brown
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 0472050494

An illustrated book about the visionary, risky, and influential business of transporting loaded railroad cars across Lake Michigan

Undefeated

Undefeated
Author: Jean R. Beach and Dr. Don Steele
Publisher: Author House
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2014-10-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1496947347

Undefeated provides an engaging and thorough picture of how a family owned business developed, overcame challenges, and interacted with the rich context of the northern Michigan tourism industry. It is a very rare story of a three-generation family-owned and family-operated business that has had to fight for survival for nearly seventy years. Fierce competition from other ferry lines, treacherous weather conditions, costly maintenance on passenger and freight vessels, changing governmental regulations, and depressed economic conditions in the State of Michigan are but a few of the challenges the Sheplers have faced over the years. This book reveals how, operating in the historically rich Straits of Mackinac waters of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry exploits the beautiful scenery, military forts, lighthouses, and the world famous Mackinac Bridge by conducting tours accompanied by expert narration sharing both fact and fiction about the native American culture of the region, the missionaries, fur trading, and ships lost to the rough waters of the Great Lakes. In this book the reader will also get some interesting insights into Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, with their very divergent cultures and offerings that can inspire and entertain visitors.

Lake Michigan Car Ferry Badger, The

Lake Michigan Car Ferry Badger, The
Author: Arthur Chavez
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2023-05-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467109363

The iconic Lake Michigan car ferry Badger has been providing reliable service between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, since its maiden voyage on March 21, 1953. Originally built as an ice-breaking ferry hauling railroad freight cars, the Badger now transports passengers, automobiles, recreational vehicles, motor coaches, and commercial vehicles including standard-size tractor/trailers and specialized oversized load trailers. The Badger is the last surviving operational example of a large network of railroad ferries crossing Lake Michigan that had once provided a time-saving shortcut for freight shippers, bypassing the long, circuitous route around the bottom of the lake through Chicago's railyards. Today, the Badger performs a different role, saving time, fuel, and mileage for regional tourists and cross-country travelers, and has been designated the continuance route of US Highway 10. Currently under the ownership of Interlake Maritime Services, the historic 410-foot-long ferry begins its seventh decade of service, continuing to bring joy and adventure to new generations of riders as it contributes to the economic vitality of the cities of Ludington and Manitowoc and surrounding regions.