Leelanau Historical Society will host an online program on steam-power ships of the Great Lakes Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Joel Stone, senior curator for the Detroit Historical Society, will be the online speaker. He will discuss 19th century steampowered ships that provided the most reliable and comfortable transportation options in the United States, becoming a critical partner in railroad expansion and the heart of a thriving recreation industry.
The aesthetic, structural, and commercial peak of the steamboat era occurred on the Great Lakes, where palatial ships created memories and livelihoods for millions while carrying passengers between the region’s major industrial port of Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo and Toronto.
