HCGL. Historical Collections of the Great Lakes

Scope and Contents

Handwritten statement from the First Mate of the steamer GEORGE STONE concerning its grounding in Lake Erie on October 12, 1909. After grounding, the vessel burned to a total loss with the loss of five lives.

Abstract

This collection contains copies of data sheets for vessels of the Great Lakes and the Ocean and Coastal trades compiled from official records and published marine directories. Vessel history information is included on these sheets to reflect name changes, place of construction, dimensions, changes in ownership, and other details regarding the boat. Information dates from c. 1822-1975.

Scope and Contents Financial Records for the J. A. Paisley and Morrow Steamship Companies are the complete content of this collection. The records date from 1922 to 1953. The majority of these files are in the series of Vessel Expense Vouchers for the Paisley company. Dating from 1952-1953, these files document daily expenditures involved in operating the vessels in the fleet.The remaining part of the collection contains three ledgers for the Paisley and Morrow companies. Wage expenses are recorded...

Abstract J. Stanley Morton, cofounder of the Graham & Morton Company involved in Great Lakes shipping, recorded observations about the business climate in southwestern Michigan in his diary. A photocopy of his diary for the years 1920-1932 is included as the principal component of this collection. A scrapbook and clippings files provide biographical information on Morton and discuss his career in lake transport. Copies of publications discuss the history of the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, Michigan...

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Seasonal reports of costs and receipts for company shipping operations of the steamer SAMUEL MITCHELL and the schooner CHICKAMAUGA on the Great Lakes.

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Reports of receipts and expenditures, with details on costs for oil, towing, wages, and other operational expenses, for the steamer Samuel Mitchell, operated by the Jackson Transit Company on the Great Lakes.

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Photocopies of a series of regular columns on Great Lakes history written by James Donahue of the Port Huron Times-Herald from 1988-1996.

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Notes on maintenance work done each year on the hull and engine of the JAMES FISK, JR.

Abstract

Photographs and manuscripts created by Great Lakes author James Barry over a nearly 50-year span from the 1960s to the 2010s. Highlights include color slides of Lake Erie and Georgian Bay, drafts of books chapters, and a 1764 French map of the Great Lakes region.

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Log of a sailing vessel detailing cargoes carried and ports visited.

Abstract

This collection documents the history of Hulett unloaders, machines designed by George Hulett to empty the cargo holds of Great Lakes freighters. These machines greatly increased the efficiency of the unloading process beginning in the early 20th century. A major portion of the collection is made up of architectural plans and drawings, but also contains correspondence, reports, newsclippings, and photographs, 1908-1990.

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History and listing of vessels operated by Jenkins, including ship history and statistics. Compiled by Jim Kidd.

Abstract This collection is composed of a business journal maintained by Jesse W. Church and other family members to record financial and other aspects of shipbuilding activities operated at Sugar Island, Michigan. The entries date from 1853-1895 and 1903. Cost figures for supplies, design plans, sketches of boats, and brief histories of some of the vessels are included. The Church boatyard specialized in sailing vessels of under fifty feet in length. Many Mackinaw boats were built at the Sugar...

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Collection consists of two diaries kepy by Codding during his time coming of age in Duluth, Minnesota. He was fourteen when he began writing, and twenty at the end.A wide variety of topics are covered, from immigration to shipbuilding to family matters.

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Logbooks arranged by trip, giving location, cargo, time and distance traveled, weather conditions, and other notes.

Scope and Contents This collection contains published material regarding employment on Great Lakes vessels acquired by John C. Smith during his career with several Great Lakes fleets. These items span the years 1919-1937.A lengthy manual written by Captain John C. Murray lists sample questions used in navigational schools for training examinations. Master, mates, and pilots studied this manual in order to take licensing tests prepared by the Lake Carriers' Association. John C. Smith has made...

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Compiled listing of individual trips during the 1954 sailing season, indicating the points of departure/arrival, cargo, and mileage statistics

Abstract This collection documents vessels used in Great Lakes and ocean commerce. Clippings files, research notes, vessel log books, and a 60,000-item card file contain information on marine transportation in the United States and Canada. Events from the period 1814-1958 receive coverage. Scrapbooks form an illustrated record of vessels from circa 1890-1930. Loose clippings are drawn extensively from published articles dated c. 1930-1958. Research notes extracted from a variety of sources describe...

Abstract

The collection contains captain logs and account books for the tugboat TOURIST for 1921-1939, including business affairs, ports of arrivals, passenger lists, crew lists, cargo lists and prices, maintenance entries, cash accounts, newspaper clippings and a 1952 end log entry of the transfer of the TOURIST to Standard Towing Corp. An account book for the tugboat SCHNODEN begins on September 15, 1921 and continues to November 26, 1921.

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Copies of bills of lading, receipts, and a biographical sketch written after his death.

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This collection is composed photographs and slides of Great Lakes vessels and assorted manuscript materials pertaining primarily to Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company and its Great Lakes vessels. Photos in this collection date mostly from the 1990s to the 2000s. The collection’s wide range of manuscripts ranges from newspaper articles to vessel crew listings and provides ample information pertaining to Cleveland-Cliffs vessels and operations.

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Notes on maintenance work done each year on the hull and engine of the JOHN M. NICOL.

Scope and Contents This collection consists of diaries kept by McLaughlin during his time as a marine engineer serving on the Great Lakes from 1886-1927. It is not known if he began to keep diaries from before that time, but this set is complete for the 41-year span of the collection. The diaries provide a wealth of firsthand information about the life a marine engineer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection is also unique in that he served aboard many different types of vessels during...

Scope and Contents

Notes on maintenance work done each year on the hull and engine of the JOHN V. MORAN.

Abstract

Collection is composed of approximately 369 color photographs of Great Lakes vessels and several dozen Great Lakes brochures. Material dates from the 1990s and 2000s. Photos were taken at various Great Lakes locations by Joseph Barr. Great Lakes brochures document various cruises, ferries, and museums in the Great Lakes region.