Tugboat Pup

Photograph

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Tugboat Pup

Entry/Object ID

2023.59.24

Description

B/W photograph of a small tug producing a big plume of smoke and steam as it cruises by the pilings in the old Saugatuck harbor. Photo was double matted and enclosed in a wood frame when purchased. In July 2024, it was taken out of the frame and placed in Nautical box. This entry also include other, digital-only, images of the Pup.

Photograph Details

Type of Photograph

Print, photograph

Subject Person or Organization

Pup (boat) 1894-1915 (left Saugatuck in 1907)

Context

Pup was a tug, a powerful boat used for towing larger vessels, like passenger steamships, in and out of the old Saugatuck harbor, which could be difficult to navigate due to shifting sands and silt in the river and harbor mouth. Pup was built in 1894 at the Rogers & Bird shipyard in Saugatuck. The photo was acquired from the Kit and Art Lane estate. This photo appears on page 176 of Kit Lane's 1993 book "Built on the Banks of the Kalamazoo."

Collection

Nautical, Transportation: water

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2023.59

Source or Donor

Lakeshore Event Center/Tressa Mills

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Dimensions

Height

13 in

Width

15-1/2 in

Location

Box

005 A+B Nautical History

General Notes

Note

The digital image(s) were copied from the SDHC photo blog [or the Jack Sheridan drive if that was a superior version] in preparation for updating the SDHC website in 2023.

Note

This image was featured as History Mystery #41 with the solution: The Pup is probably pulling a pile driver or a dredge barge during construction of the new piers in 1905 or 1906.

Note

2023 auction description: Photograph, double mat. Approx. 13"x15.5" OA; 7 1/2"x9 1/4" SS. Piece has not been removed from frame for examination. Part of a Saugatuck/Douglas Art Collection.

Create Date

October 22, 2023

Update Date

July 1, 2024