Historic Great Lakes Towns

The Story of Mobility in America in the Maritime Museums of

Milwaukee Chicago South Haven Marquette and Buffalo

Milwaukee lies along the shores and bluffs of Lake Michigan at the confluence of three rivers: the Menomonee, the Kinnickinnic, and the Milwaukee. Ideally situated as a port city, and as a center for collecting and distributing produce, Milwaukee shipped more wheat than any place in the world.

The name Milwaukee comes from an Algonquian Word meaning Good Beautiful and Pleasant Land

The Wisconsin Marine Historical Society is a self-supported, nonprofit organization that collects, preserves, archives and makes available to the public materials related to Great Lakes marine history.
The Great Lakes Collection is maintained at the Milwaukee Public Library, one of the most important repositories of Great Lakes marine materials in existence. The collection contains more than 11,000 vessel files, 32,000 vessel index cards, and over 50,000 photographs and graphic images, along with books, nautical charts, manuscripts, journals, nineteenth century newspaper stories, and ship artifacts.

The Intermodal Station provides Amtrak riders access to other intercity bus operators; the Amtrak Hiawatha line connects downtown Milwaukee and downtown Chicago daily.

Chicago is on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. The Chicago Portage connects the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Watersheds. The city's history and economy are closely tied to its proximity to Lake Michigan. While the Chicago River historically handled much of the region's waterborne cargo, today's lake carriers use Lake Calumet Harbor on the South Side. When founded in 1837, most of the early buildings were around the mouth of the Chicago River and the original 58 blocks. Chicago’s history and development stem from its axis at the foot of the Great Lakes.

The Story of Chicago’s Waterways and their Impact on America’s Economy

The Chicago Maritime Museum collects items that commemorate Chicago’s maritime history.  More than 6,000 items have accumulated, including watercraft, models, articles, books, displays, art, images and artifacts.  The collection makes historic materials accessible to scholars or anyone seeking to understand Chicago’s unique historical connections.

Preserving and Divulging a Community's Cultural Heritage with Local Museums

South Haven is a port city at the mouth of the Black River on the southeastern coast of Lake Michigan and a port of call for passenger and cargo shipping lines. In the early 1900s South Haven became a resort town because of its recreational harbor and beaches. It is the western terminus of the Kal-Haven Trail, popular with bicyclists and snowmobilers. 

The Michigan Maritime Museum presents the rich maritime heritage of the Great Lakes and is Michigan's most distinguished institution of maritime research, preservation and education. Five separate buildings offer a variety of engaging opportunities: exhibits on Michigan maritime history, a center for the teaching of boat building and related maritime skills, and a research library. The Friends Good Will promotes tourism in West Michigan by providing the public with a wide variety of cultural and educational experiences. The dramatic story of this sloop speaks to the history of commerce in the early 1800s, as well as her pivotal role in the War of 1812.

Marquette is a major port city on Michigan’s Lake Superior, known primarily for iron ore shipping. The land around Marquette was known to French missionaries of the early 17th century and the trappers of the early 19^th century. The village of Marquette began on September 14, 1849, with the formation of a second iron concern, the Marquette Iron Company. In the late 19th century, during the height of iron mining, Marquette became nationally known as a summer haven. Visitors brought in by Great Lakes passenger steamships filled the city's hotels and resorts. Marquette continues to be a shipping port for hematite ores and enriched iron ore pellets, from nearby mines and pelletizing plants.

The Marquette Maritime Museum Association began in 1980. The Museum was opened in the old City Waterworks building in the summer of 1984. The building is a one story, stone, Romanesque style structure. Area school kids learn their local maritime history along with guests from all over the world.

Stannard Rock Marquette Coast Guard Station provided the support necessary for Stannard’s Rock Lighthouse. The 110-foot sandstone tower was built on a desolate reef first discovered in 1847. Located 44 miles due north of Marquette, its lightkeepers called it the “loneliest place in North America” since it is the most distant lighthouse from land on the entire continent.

The Buffalo area was inhabited before the 17^th century by Native American Iroquois tribes and later by French settlers. The city grew significantly in the 19^th and 20th centuries; immigration, the Erie Canal, rail transport and proximity to Lake Erie fueled trade with the midwestern part of the nation. 

Buffalo is located at the head of the Niagara River 16 miles south of Niagara Falls

The Buffalo Maritime Center promotes traditional hand skills and a craftsman-like attitude while advancing knowledge of the Western New York maritime heritage. The high standards of craftsmanship intrinsic to the work of boat building form the basis of educational programs that encourage self-discipline, self-sufficiency, and the pride of performing meaningful work.

Durham boats flat-bottomed, double-ended craft were used throughout the inland waterways of North America to ferry supplies and people. They were used to transport George Washington and his troops across the Delaware River during the American Revolution and were especially common along the Niagara River to transport salt and lumber from Little Niagara (Fort Schlosser) to Black Rock. Durham boats eventually were replaced in the Niagara region by larger, more efficient canal boats after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.

Un Viaggio nel Sud Dakota

laghi glaciali praterie pionieri nativi americani e architettura nel centro del Vecchio West

Il Sud Dakota e’ composto da quattro regioni: I laghi glaciali e le praterie nel Nordest, il Sudest, i grandi laghi e le Badlands ad Ovest del fiume Missouri.  

Aberdeen e’ la principale cittadina del Nordest. Abitata dai Sioux prima dell’arrivo degli Europei verso il 1820. Come tanti altri centri del Midwest, Aberdeen e’ stata sviluppata intorno alle ferrovie costruite dopo la Guerra Civile; le abitazioni e gli edifici pubblici presentano una combinazione di architettura moderna e classica.

Fort Sisseton Historic State Park Rievoca le Tradizioni dei Nativi Americani Pionieri e la Cavalleria USA

Nicollet Tower, una struttura alta 75 piedi che porta il nome dell’ esploratore francese Joseph Nicollet che visito’ questo territorio nel 1839, offer un panorama mozzafiato che copre tre stati.

Watertown, la citta’ dei laghi, e’ anche rinomata per lo Zoo Bramble Park ed il centro per le arti Terry Redin, ritenuto tra gli artisti piu’ popolari degli Stati Uniti. 

Brookings e’ un piccolo centro universitario con diversi musei tra cui un Museo d’Arte, il Museo dei Bambini ed il Museo delle Tradizioni Agricole I Giardini McCrory sono considerati tra I 10 migliori giardini botanici del paese 10 small botanical gardens in the United States. South Dakota State University e’ un centro per la ricerca dell’ agricoltura e la produzione sul campus di ottimi gelati e formaggi. both made at the university.

De Smet e’ famosa per Little House on the Prairie, il libro di avventura dei pionieri di Laura Ingalls Wilder. Potrai visitare Ingalls Homestead e diversi altri luoghi resi famosi da questa rinomata autrice.

Visita il Sud Dakota con Knowledge Tourism

Sioux Falls e’ la Principale Citta’ del Sud Dakota

Il Museo Nazionale della Musica, con sede nella cittadina di Vermillion, contiene oltre 13.500 strumenti musicali rari mentre il Museo W.H. Over Museum specializza nella storia naturale e culturale di questo stato.

Yankton e’ stata la prima capitale del Territorio del Dakota. Gli esploratori Lewis e Clark furono trai I primi a visitare il territorio. Oggi, l’omonimo lago offre molteplici attivita’ recreative all’aperto. Da visitare: il Museo Territoriale del Dakota e diverse abitazioni private con notevoli pregi architettonici.

Il Centro Culturale e Museo Akta Lakota Chamberlain-Oacoma

Il Buffalo Interpretive Center una esperienza formativa sulla storia del buffalo e l’effetto sulla cultura delle tribu’ native americane mentre Badlands National Park copre 97,600 ettari.

Nel 1743 a Fort Pierre il Territorio del Sud Dakota fu dichiarato parte della Francia

Rapid City e’ centralmente ubicata per visitare le Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, il Memoriale a Crazy Horse, il Museo Indiano del Nord America, Custer State Park e le Badlands. La citta’ contiene due distretti storici; al centro, potrai visitare palazzi come la First National Bank, risalente al 1914, mentre il distretto residenziale nella parte Ovest di Rapid City presenta esempi di architettura del XIX ed I primi del XX secolo nell’arco di 18 isolati. Da non perdere, diversi piccolo comuni ricchi di storia, tra cui:

Keystone, un borgo di montagna con delle miniere d’oro dismesse;

Hill City e' raggiungibile con un treno storico che risale al 1880 per ammirare le opera di artisti del luogo e degustare i vini particolari della Cantina Prairie Berry;

Deadwood e’ la piu’ rinomata delle cittadine del Vecchio West. Al cimitero di Mount Moriah riposano Wild Bill Hickok e Calamity Jane. Deadwood continua la sua fama di spregiudicatezza con i suoi ben 80 casino’ ma offre anche importanti attivita’ recreative all’aperto come la Mikelson Trail, un percorso per bici e passeggio lungo oltre 109 miglia, che attraversa le mitiche Black Hills.