Portage and Lake Superior Canals records

Two types of records are included in this collection. A daily journal, covering the period August 9, 1891-December 11, 1891, describes the daily activities of the assistant engineer in charge of the Portage Lake and Lake Superior Ship Canal. Included is information on maintenance of the shipping channel, office procedures, and ship passages. The journal dates approximately from the time the federal government assumed control of the waterway, thus containing much information on the improvements made then. Inventories of federal property at the site also are included, as are some preliminary plans for harbor improvements.

The statistical registers (April 17, 1898-December 6, 1901; April 13, 1919- November 26, 1929) record, by day, the naems of the vessels transiting the waterway, their tonnages and cargoes, and whether they were eastbound or westbound. Included in the statistical register for 1898-1901 are summaries for the seasons 1897-1899, and 1901.