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.

The North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum on Lake Superior

Minnesota’s small towns are delightful. From well-known small towns like Ely, Pipestone and Nisswa, to the truly tiny towns there’s nothing quite like exploring a small Minnesota town with family and friends.

The Superior Hiking Trail is a 310-mile-long hiking trail that follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior. Access the trail from many points from Jay Cooke State Park, through Duluth, and along Hwy 61 from west of Two Harbors to north of Grand Marais. Great for both day hikes and backpack camping, enjoy scenic overlooks, waterfalls, forests and wildlife. 93 free backcountry campsites spaced every 5-8 miles.  
Tofte is one of the many small communities dotting the North Shore. It’s a popular jumping-off point for kayakers paddling through the beautiful sea caves found on the shore.

The North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum on Lake Superior's North Shore is a unique experience of the maritime heritage engrained in the landscape and people who call this country home. Governed by the Tofte Historical Society, the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and dissemination of historical knowledge in commercial fishing and the early lifestyles on the shore and waters of Lake Superior.

Maritime Objects, artifacts, photographs and images are at the heart of the museum's collections. The museum is a replica of the twin fish house in Tofte. In the upstairs rooms, safe from the rain and snow, old nets were dried on net reels and new nets were seamed during slow periods. The second floor had a porch away from the lake that was used to oil and dry corks. In good weather, rope and cord were hung over the porch railings to dry.

The Story of Mobility in America

Maritime Museums in Historic Towns

Museum Exhibits from the fjords of Norway to the isolated, rugged shoreline of Lake Superior, the Museum's exhibits take you across the cultural landscape of North Shore commercial fishermen and their families. From the stories about surviving the raging seas of the Lake to the details of traditional North Shore boat building techniques, you can hear the stories directly from the fishermen themselves.

Steamships were crucial to the development of tourism on the North Shore and Isle Royale

Commercial Fishermen began to take in overnight guests in the 1920's to supplement their income. Rustic, cold water cabins and luxury hotels have proven to be a lasting part of the economy of the North Shore. Steamships helped this fledgling industry by promoting the resorts and transporting potential guests. The steamship captains, representing a link to the outside world, were important personalities along the North Shore. They are remembered as nearly inseparable parts of the ships they commanded.

Lake trout and herring were the two predominant commercial fish on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Whitefish, important on the south shore, lacked proper habitat along this rocky coast. The increasing population of sea lamprey in Lake Superior in the 1950's greatly harmed the trout populations, and effectively ended their commercial harvest. Lampreys were originally prevented from reaching the Great Lakes by Niagara Falls. With the construction of the Welland Ship Canal in 1835, lampreys began to make their first inroads into the eastern lakes, and steadily moved west. They first appeared in Lake Superior in the 1940's.

Fishing Techniques gill netting and hook line were the two primary techniques used by North Shore fishermen. Although gill nets were used for both trout and herring, the hook line was used only for trout. Nets were set in the beginning of the season and moved several times; new anchors were needed with every move. Attached to a coil of strong rope, the anchor was slipped overboard very carefully as the rapidly descending line could entangle and pull a person overboard. Many fishermen used local rocks for anchors. When rocks with suitable natural shapes were unavailable, grooves were chiseled in rocks of the appropriate size.

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