Name/Title
Steamer Charles McVea document, 1904Entry/Object ID
2022.88.01Description
Three-page document written by a passenger aboard the Steamer Charles McVea. At a glance the document looks like a photocopy on aged paper but the ink appears to have soaked through the paper, suggesting it may be an original.
The unfinished, unsigned draft begins "A goodly number of the members of the Marquette Club of Chicago are aboard the steamer Charles McVea bound for Ottawa Beach, Michigan and other points on the East shore of Lake Michigan. They left Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 6th, 1904 at 1:00 P.M. for a few days outing and recreation. Many have taken their wives and children -- always a happy addition to a Marquette Club congregation." After another paragraph about the pleasures of the cruise, the next four paragraphs are ruminations about politics, specifically the U.S. Presidential campaign's 1904 Republican candidates Theodore Roosevelt and Charles W. Fairbanks.
The last two paragraphs return the cruise itinerary. "Our first landing place is Ottawa Beach, arriving there at 8:30. After dinner a very enjoyable dance will be a source of entertainment with [text in fold unreadable] they will find rest in the comfortable berths on the steamer. On Sunday, August 6th, [sic] Saugatuck and other points will be visited. Monday morning, August 8th, at 7:00 A.M. we will be due at Chicago, ready to do battle for the Republican party and to widen the sphere of usefulness of the Marquette Club."Context
Example of a fruit-hauling steamer repurposed to harvest the more lucrative tourism trade and how even the loftiest of Chicagoans look pleasure in Saugatuck.Collection
1880 Tourism steamship era -1930Cataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2022.88Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
politics, political divisions, vacations, recreation, tourimsLocation
Box
005 A+B Nautical HistoryCondition
Overall Condition
PoorNotes
The short ends of the pages are frayed and the ink is worn away in areas.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Charles McVea (ship) 1888-1928Create Date
November 26, 2022Update Date
November 30, 2022
