Ivan S. Brookes Collection

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0057

Staff Only

Collection Overview

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.

Dates

Creation: ca. 1822-1975

Extent

4 Cubic Feet (8 legal manuscript boxes)

Creator

Brookes, Ivan S., 1916- (Person)

Scope and Contents

Collection contains copies of data sheets for vessels of the Great Lakes and ocean and coastal trades compiled from official records and published marine directories. Information generally found on each sheet includes the various names a vessel had during its shipping career, where and when the vessel was built, the name of the shipyard or shipbuilder, dimension and tonnage figures, type of engine and boiler, notes on alterations to the vessel, and notes on the destruction of the vessel either by accident or retirement for salvage. Information dates from the period ca. 1822-1975. Arrangement is alphabetical by the earliest known name for each vessel.

Biographical Sketch

Ivan S. Brookes developed his interest in the Great Lakes region transportation system early in life. Born in Toledo during 1916, Brookes has lived near the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River throughout his life. Service on vessels sailing on the St. Lawrence River from 1937 to 1942 sparked an historian's curiosity that led eventually to a 1974 book entitled The Lower St. Lawrence: A Pictorial History of Shipping and Industrial Development.

Service in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1945 was followed by a career in engineering. Brookes joined The Steel Company of Canada, Ltd. in 1947 and still resides in Hamilton, Ontario. Interest in Great Lakes vessels and the Hamilton area produced the book McKay's Wharf: The Story of a Shipowning Enterprise in Hamilton in 1989.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Additional Description

Separated Materials

A substantial number of photographs were included with this collection at the time of donation. These have been interfiled into the main photograph collections. Images that are part of the Ivan Brookes collections are designated as such with a stamp on the reverse side.

Related Materials

For additional collections containing siginficant information on individual vessels, see GLMS 4 - Erik Heyl collection, GLMS 5 - John Poole collection, GLMS 113 - Wright Marine collection, and GLMS 71 - Loudon Wilson collection.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Brookes Collection was transferred to the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes on December 8, 1987. The Instrument of Gift was signed at the time of transfer.

Processing Information

Final processing was completed with the assistance of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant in August 1991 by Mark J. Barnes and Monica Manny.