Cruising the Great Lakes

Archive

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Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Cruising the Great Lakes

Entry/Object ID

2021.87.62

Scope and Content

The Local Observer newspaper Remembering When - Our History article titled "Cruising the Great Lakes" March 8, 2006. By Jack Sheridan, Jim Schmiechen and Rob Carey. Digital files use to create this article and associated resources at 2021.72.02

Context

CRUISING THE GREAT LAKES—In cruising’s glory days—1914 to 1967—the SS South American left Chicago every Saturday in season for a cruise to the upper Great Lakes. One of the romantic stops on the 2200 mile cruise was at Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. Mackinac Island, is a beautiful, scenic island with historic sites and a “time stands still” charm. Automobiles aren’t allowed on the island, so the horse and carriage transportation takes you back in time. Passengers could, if they wished, stay a few more days on the island or any of the other ports and continue their cruise on the next passenger ship. Other stops for the South American were the old lumber town of Munising, Houghton, Duluth, and the untouched natural beauty of scenic Isle Royale in Lake Superior. These ports looked forward to the weekly visit of the cruise ships. Often the high-school band would march out to greet passengers. And passengers had time to stroll through town purchasing souvenirs as reminders of their cruise adventure. Everyone seemed to enjoy the passage through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie where the ship was lowered 20 feet in the lock to the level of the St. Mary’s river to continue the journey onward on Lake Huron. How did the crew like their shipboard jobs? One of the college waitresses exudes, “To wake up every morning in a different port…I loved that. And the food was really high class.” There were ship’s rules against boy-girl relationships—but the sweet elixir of moonlight cruises led to 56 known marriages between crew mates who served on these liners. Changes in American social and travel habits contributed to the downfall of these cruise ships. After WWII, people started traveling and vacationing by car. And the advent of cheaper and faster airlines was tough competition. But the final nail in the coffin was the Coast Guard’s ruling in 1966 that banned any steamship with a wood superstructure from carrying passengers. The last cruise of the sister ships was taken by the SS South American when it took a boatload of passengers to the 1967 Montreal Exposition. The French cruise-liner Le Levant revived the cruise tradition in Saugatuck with scheduled passenger stops in 1999. After 2001, low water levels prevented future visits, but hopefully new liners will visit our shores and restore cruises on the Great Lakes. by Rob Carey

Collection

Remembering When

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2021.87

Source or Donor

Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-

Acquisition Method

Donation

Location

* Untyped Location

Digital data in CatalogIt

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-, Schmiechen, James A., Carey, Rob 1928-2019, South American (ship), North American (ship), Le Levant (ship)

Related Publications

Publication

Local Observer

Create Date

December 31, 2021

Update Date

November 18, 2023