Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present

Steamships

to stop in Petoskey, steamship patrons would most often disembark at Harbor Springs.Those traveling from Chicago on one of these steamers would do so in a luxurious environment—especially if they were on the Manitou. Built in 1893, the ship was 297 feet long and 42 feet wide. It made three trips per week between Chicago and Mackinac Island.The fare in 1898 was $5 each way, with meals Great Lakes Ships While train service was undoubtedly historically important to the region, so was the influence of passenger ship travel—especially to Harbor Springs. Unlike Petoskey, Harbor Springs is blessed with one of Lake Michigan’s best natural harbors. Protected by the point, its waters are deep and sheltered, so that the lake’s largest ships could easily dock there, buffered from rough seas. By the 1890s steamship companies running between Chicago and Mackinaw were making regular stops here.While it was easiest for railroad travelers 202 Harbor Springs Steamships The Manitou rounding Harbor Point and heading to the Harbor Springs dock. (Courtesy of Library of Congress) Manitou schedule, 1900. (Courtesy of Little Traverse Historical Society) Steamships 203 Manitou promotional booklet, 1893. (Courtesy of Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University) and a berth extra. Passengers boarded at a Chicago River wharf, and during their twenty-four-hour trip to Mackinac Island, they could enjoy the view from the deck, eat in the ornate dining room, relax in a lounge, or rest in a small berth. Arrival at Harbor Springs was announced with a deafening blast of the ship’s steam whistle, signaling the immediate start of activity on shore. Attendants readied carts to move trunks and suitcases to trains or bay steamship ferries, those anticipating guests’ arrivals came to the dock to greet them, and the souvenir sellers prepared for business. 204 Harbor Springs Above: The North Land at the Harbor Springs dock. Built in 1885, it was 358 feet long and 44 feet wide. Renamed the Admiral Nicholson, it was pressed into service during the First World War. It did not return. (Courtesy of Library of Congress) Left: View of Harbor Springs from a ship’s deck. (Courtesy of Little Traverse Historical Society) Steamships 205 (Rebecca Zeiss) 206 Harbor Springs (Rebecca Zeiss) Steamships 207 208 Harbor Springs Typical dock scene showing the proximity of the Great Lakes steamships, bay ferries, and railroad station. The steamship is the Manitou and the ferries the Gracie Barker and Thomas Friant. (Courtesy of Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University) Bay Ferry Steamers 209 Bay Ferry Steamers Passengers disembarking from a Great Lakes steamship at Harbor Springs (or a long-haul train at Petoskey) who wanted to travel on to further destinations needed a way to get there. Regional roads were nonexistent (or primitive at best), and hiring a wagon was expensive. After the rail line between Petoskey and Harbor Springs was completed in 1882, transfer to a local-service train was often easiest, as porters could quickly move trunks and packages to the train bound for stops on the bay or for destinations further afield, such asWalloon Lake or Crooked Lake. Offering competition to the railroads (and options to travelers) was a popular bay steam ferry service. Beginning in 1874, Philo Chrysler started regular ferry (Courtesy of Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University) acting as “water taxis,” these ships offered a viable alternative to trains for those departing from or arriving in the area or for those simply taking a day trip to somewhere else. service between Petoskey and Harbor Springs that expanded greatly over the years until it was eventually discontinued in the 1930s. Visitors boarded one of the small ferry steamers, which typically docked alongside the larger Great Lakes vessels. Depending on its scheduled route, a steamer could then go directly across the bay to Petoskey or travel around the bay stopping at the docks of major resorts such asWequetonsing, Roaring Brook, or BayView.Tickets cost as little as 15¢, and combination ticket booklets—good for either steamer or train transportation—were available. Essentially 210 Harbor Springs Above: The Searchlight, with Harbor Point in the background. It was seventy feet long and fifteen feet wide. (Courtesy of Little Traverse Historical Society) Left...