You searched for City|State: alpena, mi
Showing results 1 to 10 of 21
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2AU0_research-vessels_Alpena-MI.html
For centuries explorers and scientists have researched the Great Lakes. As a vital transportation link to the Midwest and one of the largest sources of fresh water on the planet. Such important resources warranted scientific, charting and survey e…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ATY_bigger-stronger-faster_Alpena-MI.html
At the time of the U.S. Civil War, thousands of sailing ships worked the Great Lakes. Despite their impressive numbers, these sailing vessels struggled hardly able to keep pace with the enormous demands for bulk cargos generated by America's fast-…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ATW_the-fletcher-coal-piers_Alpena-MI.html
In November of 1856, George N. Fletcher assisted a survey crew in laying the footprint for the city of Alpena. Appreciative of the area's dense forest and the Thunder Bay River's ability to help transport raw materials, finished products, and fuel…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ASJ_tragedy-in-the-mist-the-schooner-e-b-allen_Alpena-MI.html
Like other "canallers," the schooner E.B. Allen squeezed through the canals and locks of the Great Lakes. Crews tried to maximize the payload, and thus profits, using every inch of cargo space.
The heavy traffic of thousands of sail and steam ve…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ASI_fast-steel-flyer-the-bulk-freighter-grecian_Alpena-MI.html
Launched in 1891, the Grecian symbolizes an era of unprecedented industrial growth and dramatic changes in technology. Newspapers heralded the steamer and her five sister ships as "fast steel flyers." A marvel of efficiency at the time, …
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ASF_harbor-tug-ralph_Alpena-MI.html
In 1874, the 60-foot wooden harbor tug E.H. Miller began a 45-year career operating out of Alpena, escorting vessels on the Thunder Bay River and assisting those in distress. The tug was not without her own share of mishaps. In her first year, she…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2AS6_a-shipbuilding-revolution_Alpena-MI.html
Shipbuilding forever changed with the transition from wooden hulls to those built of iron and steel. The first iron-hulled freighter on the Great Lakes, the Onoko, debuted in 1881. At 287 feet long, she was a giant of her day. Just five years late…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ARG_rising-from-the-ashes-the-new-orleans_Alpena-MI.html
Life on the frontier Great Lakes was dangerous when the sidewheeler Vermilion went into service in 1838. In 1842, the 151-foot steamer burned to the waterline, killing several people. A year later, with immigration booming and the economy strong, …
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2AQO_squeezing-the-profit-margin_Alpena-MI.html
Sailing ships first appeared on the Great Lakes when French explorer Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle built the Griffon in 1679. By 1870, over two thousand sailing ships plied the Great Lakes. Most of these sailing ships were schooners, sai…
historicalmarkerproject/markers/HM2ANI_international-shipmasters-association_Alpena-MI.html
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 c…