Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Chessie Lake Michigan Ferries Badger & Spartan



This postcard shows two Chessie Lake Michigan ferries. The Badger is in the background, and the deck of the Spartan is in the foreground. These ferries were originally built in 1951-53. They were named after the mascots of the University of Wisconsin and Michigan State University.

The following information is from the back of the postcard:
Chessie's water-borne links between Ludington, Michigan and the Wisconsin ports of Milwaukee, Manitowoc and Kewaunee move 175,000 passengers, 50,000 autos and 100,000 cars of freight annually across Lake Michigan. Vacationists from many states choose C & O's cross lake short cut as pleasant and restful interludes in a busy schedule. C & O's fleet of seven ships operate round the clock every day throughout the year.
After changing ownership several times, the Badger has survived as a summer only tourist service between Ludington and Maniwotoc carrying only passengers and vehicles. The ship is the only coal-fired steamship operating in North America. Its fate is uncertain because the Environmental Protection Agency wants the steamship to stop dumping tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan.

Learn more on the SS Badger website.





2 comments:

  1. Funny, I have a ship today too - but without all of those fun outfits. I wish those fashions would come back.

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  2. This is so interesting because it has so much going on in one scene!

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