Diving the Wreck of the Vienna off Whitefish Point

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Vienna - 19

Vienna – 19, photo by mschout.

Global Underwater Explorers page on diving the Vienna says that although extended range divers often use the Vienna as a “blow-off dive because it’s shallow and near shore, it’s also one of the finest wrecks to dive in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They write that this 191′ wooden steamer:

…came to her demise the same way that many do in Lake Superior, by collision. On 16 September 1892, she was down bound from Marquette, Michigan, with a load of iron ore. In tow was the schooner Mattie C. Bell. At Whitefish Point, the Vienna met up with the Nipigon. The Nipigon also had schooners in tow. Without warning, the Nipigon suddenly veered and struck the Vienna. Despite the efforts of both crews to save the Vienna, the vessel sank approximately one mile from shore. It was never fully understood why the Nipigon veered off course.

You can get more information about this wreck and others near Whitefish Point including a great photo of the Vienna at the ore docks in Marquette at Nordic Diver’s page on the wreck of the steamer Vienna.

Michael Schout has more photos of diving the Vienna (slideshow) and from diving more Great Lakes wrecks including the William Young, Panther, Minneapolis, Northwest, Sandusky and the Eber Ward in his very cool Diving set.

Much more shipwreck info (along with another great photo from Michael) can be found at the Absolute Michigan word of the week: Shipwreck!

Ludington from the SS Badger Car Ferry

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Ludington, MI from the Bow of SS Badger

Ludington, MI from the Bow of SS Badger, photo by Wigwam Jones.

Yesterday on Absolute Michigan we took a look at the S.S. City of Milwaukee, a permanently moored rail car ferry museum (website).

It seems only fitting that we give a nod to the S.S. Badger with a cool set of SS Badger photos from Wigwam Jones (slideshow).

The S.S. Badger web site gives the history of the ship which begins:

She is the largest car ferry ever to sail Lake Michigan, and has provided a safe, fun, and reliable shortcut across the huge inland sea for more than fifty years. The S.S. Badger is a national treasure, offering a cruise experience that links us to an earlier time when a sea voyage was the ultimate travel and vacation adventure.

The 410′ S.S. Badger entered service in 1953, designed specifically to handle the rough conditions that it would likely encounter during year ’round sailing on Lake Michigan. Built primarily to transport railroad freight cars, but with superior passenger accommodations, the Badger reigned as Queen of the Lakes during the car ferries’ Golden Era in the late Fifties, with Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Kewaunee as her Wisconsin ports of call.

Unlike most of her fellow ferries, the Badger escaped the scrapyard and makes the daily journey from Ludington to Manitowoc, WI May – October. Be sure to take the tour of the Badger!

Lost on vacation

Posted on by farlane

Lost by Terrapin Dawg

Lost, photo by Terrapin Dawg

One of the great things about being on vacation is getting lost. Not the kind of lost where everyone’s hot and cranky, but rather the kind of lost where you see things you never expected and aren’t even sure you could find your way back.

This photo from Cheboygan County, Michigan is part of a great set of photos of Northern Michigan, which Matt says is his favorite place in the world. (slideshow).

Tiger Stadium: At the corner of Michigan & Trumbull

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

At the corner of Michigan & Trumbull

Michigan and Trumbull was the address for professional baseball in Detroit for 104 seasons. From 1896 when Bennett Park opened, until the last game at Tiger Stadium in 1999, Michigan and Trumbull was the most famous street corner in Michigan. Tiger Stadium by Irwin J. Cohen takes you on a visual tour of baseball in the Motor City from the beginning of the Tigers franchise to the historic final game played at Tiger Stadium. The pages are filled with photos (some never before published) of the stadium and Tiger legends from Cobb, Gehringer and Greenberg right up to Kaline, Lolich, Trammell, Gibson and others.

1968 Detroit Tigers / St. Louis Cardinals World Series program cover
The World Series went a full seven games and games three, four, and five were played in Detroit. Each game attracted the same 53,634 attendance numbers. (Author’s collection.)Click above photos for a larger view!		 Willie Horton of the Detroit Tigers
Affable slugger left fielder Willie Horton hit 36 home runs in 1968. In game five with St. Louis ahead three games to one, Horton made the most memorable defensive play in the history of the ballpark when he threw out speedster Lou Brock trying to score from second on a single. (Courtesy B&W Photos.)

Tiger Stadium by Irwin J. Cohen is available from the publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.

View other excerpts from Arcadia Publishing’s Michigan books at Michigan in Pictures!

On a more editorial note, I had originally thought when I requested these photos that this would be part of a requiem for this grand old ballpark. It still may, but with Tiger icon Ernie Harwell pushing a plan to redevelop Tiger Stadium as a smaller ballpark and museum complex, maybe not!

You can follow Tiger Stadium news at Absolute Michigan.

Two Boats on Little Traverse Bay

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Two Boats on Little Traverse Bay

Two Boats on Little Traverse Bay, photo by Graphic Knight.

This photo by Eric S. Chernenkoff is part of his 2007 Summer Vacation Quest set (slideshow). There’s some cool images including this wallpaper-sized shot of an old Lifesaving service boat with the Petoskey pier in the background.

You can view and purchase more photos by Eric at his graphicknight.com web site (he also has a photo blog there)

Wilfred Sykes

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Wilfred Sykes

Wilfred Sykes, photo by jowo.

I think that Joel can pretty much handle today’s post:

Pretty boat. Leaving the harbor at Muskegon, Michigan.

While I’ve seen, and photographed, most currently active lakes boats, this one had somehow escaped me until yesterday afternoon. We’d gone to Muskegon to walk the beach, and suddenly there she was, leaving the harbor.

Sykes was the first American lakes boat completed after World War II, and was launched shortly after I was born. In many ways she’s the prototype for a generation of lakers. And just plain gorgeous! Glad I finally found her.

You may enjoy Joel’s Lakers slideshow and you’ll probably also like the Wilfred Sykes photo gallery from boatnerd.com Joel links to above.

Postcard History of Sister Lakes, Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Speedboat ‘King Tut’ on Indian Lake

Speedboat ‘King Tut’ on Indian Lake The photographer taking a picture of the speedboat King Tut in 1929 had no idea of its significance. Earl Wiest Jr. and Ralph Tice, owners of Tice’s Beach at the north end of Indian Lake, were intense rivals. Who had the faster boat was an example. Tice won this round by building King Tut, the fastest boat on the lake, and racing it in front of Wiest’s Resort.

Happyland Resort on Magician Lake (Dowagiac)

The introduction to Sister Lakes by R.L. Rasmussen, a new book in Arcadia Publishing’s Postcard History Series, says that technically the two lakes that are called the Sister Lakes are Round Lake and Crooked Lake. In 1877 a post office for Sister Lakes was established in the area between the two lakes.

The book covers these two lakes and also the other nine lakes within a six-mile radius: Magician Lake, Indian Lake, Dewey Lake, Round Lake with 194 acres; Big and Little Crooked Lakes, Cable Lake and the four smaller lakes of Keeler, Pipestone, Priest, and Brush.

Happyland Resort on Magician Lake (above right, click for larger view) These young vacationers are from a 1923 postcard. This resort was originally started by Frederic E. Howe. He and his wife had a theatrical troupe that would spend their summers there writing plays and taking them out on the road. These actors would then be available to groups attempting to raise money for special causes.

You can learn more about Sister Lakes at the Sister Lakes, Michigan web site (nice map of the Sister Lakes area too) and also view the area on Google Maps.

The photos and captions reprinted with permission from Sister Lakes by R.L. Rasmussen. The book is available from the publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.

View other excerpts from Arcadia Publishing’s Michigan books at Michigan in Pictures!

Northern Lake, Northern Lights

Posted on by farlane

Northern Lights by Harry Thomas

Northern Lights, photo by Harry Thomas

My friend Harry sent me this photo of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over North Lake Leelanau. He says that at about 2am on a very windy Tuesday night, the neighbor’s sailboat came off the mooring. He got up to check his boat and got a light show! And yes, that is a shooting star in the top right … how amazing!

I thought I had the comprehensive Northern Lights post already on Michigan in Pictures. Turns out not. I’m not sure that this is, but if you add links to more Michigan Northern Lights photos in the comments and I include a link to the Michigan in Pictures northern lights tag, we’ll have a good start!

No post about the Northern Lights is complete without a link to the Michigan Tech based Aurora Page, which has been a source for Information, links and images about the “Northern Lights” on-line since the Web began. The site’s creator, Michael Dolan, took some great photos of the Northern Lights over Lake Superior (click the images when you get there for best quality images) and this site is simply the best Aurora Borealis resource on the internet.

Also in the U.P., Ann and John Mahan have an Aurora Borealis gallery that has a lot of Upper Peninsula photos (as well as others from the Great Lakes region). They have some cool books too! You can get some more Lake Superior aurora shots from Shawn & Brian Malone.

Heading back to Leelanau County, photographer Ken Scott has some Northern Lights in his online gallery (more in his books as well!). While we’re in Leelanau, I guess I can add a link to my Northern Lights gallery on Leelanau.com (I have a few are wallpaper-sized on Flickr and there’s some Northern Lights backgrounds on this page). In the interests of completeness, I better include a link to Wikipedia’s Aurora entry.

Keep your eyes on the skies, because Northern Lights often come in waves and if you DO see them, be sure to post them on the Michigan Northern Lights Log on Absolute Michigan!

Soo Locks Celebration, 1905 right up to tomorrow

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Soo Locks Celebration - 1905

Soo Locks Celebration – 1905, photo by Detroit Publishing Co.

The fantastic American Memory feature of the the US Library of Congress had this picture titled Reviewing stand, Saint Marys [sic] Canal celebration. It was taken in 1905, the very first year of a celebration that continues today: the annual Soo Locks Celebration (also known as Engineer’s Day). It’s held every year on the last Friday of June between 10 AM and 4 PM. For those following along, that’s tomorrow, July 29, 2007.

You can click for a whole gallery of shots from the Soo Locks – Sault Ste. Marie Canal on the St Mary’s River from American Memory, see some photos of the Soo Locks and past celebrations from Joel Dinda and tune into the locks via the Soo Locks SkyCam.

Michigan Shoreline Tour: South Haven … and the Friends Good Will

Posted on by farlane

Friends Good Will

Friends Good Will, photo by Doug Langham

Doug writes that the Michigan Maritime Museum’s historical replica of the famous sailing sloop Friends Good Will sails daily from the South Haven harbor. Follow that link for the tale of the original Friends Good Will and the building of this replica. (also check out Doug’s daytime photo of the sloop)

The Wikipedia entry for South Haven has all your facts and demographics and says that most of the city is in Van Buren County, with a the very north portion in Allegan County. Probably the best resource for South Haven history is the city of South Haven’s history page. It notes that the city was originally founded by J.R. Monroe, who was granted a land patent from the U. S. government in 1833 for 65 acres of land along Lake Michigan’s shore. The city didn’t get going until the 1850s when sawmills at the mouth of the Black River were established and fed the growth of the town (and the timber-hungry city of Chicago). South Haven’s “glory days” were probably when:

The resort business had its beginning in the mid-1800’s at the home of Mrs. H. M. Avery. It was to experience phenomenal growth and became South Haven’s most colorful era. By the turn of the century, thousands of visitors were arriving by steamer and train to enjoy a memorable vacation. Lodging was available in magnificent hotels, farm resorts, family homes, or picturesque little cottages along the river. Entertainment was unlimited. Choices included pavilions, several theaters, a casino, an opera house, an amusement park with a roller coaster, and much more.

Tourism remains the main business of South Haven and the South Haven Visitors Bureau and Great South Haven Chamber of Commerce can help you plan a visit. You can look in on the town with the South Haven web cam, view the Flickr photo map for South Haven and the Google map for South Haven.
Coincidentally, yesterday’s post was from South Haven too. View more South Haven area photos on Michigan in Pictures and also explore South Haven on Absolute Michigan.