WLC Marine Radio Company records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0060

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

Included in this collection are daily log books from the marine radio station WLC in Rogers City, Michigan for the years 1923-1930. Vessels traveling in Lake Huron received weather data and other navigational assistance from the radio telephone operators at WLC. The daily entries over an eight-year period provide a detailed account of how such a station operated. This time capsule is of interest to researchers studying the development of aids to navigation and safety on the Great Lakes.

Dates

Creation: September 29, 1923-October 20, 1930

Extent

11 Cubic Feet (22 legal manuscript boxes)

Creator

WLC (Radio Station : Rogers City, Mich.) (Organization)

Scope and Contents

The 65 log books from the marine radio station WLC in Rogers City, Michigan, document daily operations from 1923 through 1930 of one of the earliest such navigational aid facilities on the Great Lakes. Vessels traveling Lake Huron off the Michigan shore received weather data and other navigational assistance from the radio telephone operators at WLC. Distress calls are recorded along with routine business matters. The daily entries over an eight-year period provide a detailed account of how such a station operated. This time capsule is of interest to researchers studying the development of navigational assistance techniques on the Great Lakes.

Company History

The marine radio station known by the call letters WLC was founded in the year 1922 in Rogers City, Michigan by the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company. This station has also been known as WHT and WCAF. In 1924 WHT offered continuous service to the public on wavelengths of 300, 600, 750, 1764 and 1800 meters. WLC was created in an era of rapid growth of communication service on the Great Lakes following World War I. The U.S. Navy was closing its marine radio stations around the Lakes, including the Alpena, Michigan facility. Michigan Limestone and Chemical wished to retain weather reporting service in the region and opened its own station to communicate with vessels in the Bradley, Wyandotte and Boland-Cornelius fleets. Such stations were designed to give warning to vessels to avoid storms such as that of November 8-11, 1913, which resulted in 248 fatalities and a loss of $15 million in vessel and property damage. WLC maintained its service to Lake Huron traffic until an unknown date in the 1997.

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

English

Additional Description

Related Materials

For further information on the early years of the company, see the historical narrative written by Robert F. Crittenden, General Manager of WLC from its founding until 1962.

For more information on the history and technology of Great Lakes and Mississippi River radio navigation, see the website Inland Marine Radio History Archive.

Other materials, including Calcite Screenings, the official publication of Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company, can be located via a search of the library catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The WLC Marine Radio Company collection was donated to the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes by Central Radio and Telegraph Company on October 26, 1984 and June 30, 1988. Instruments of gift were signed on the dates 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.