While dwelling upon the importance of the commercial life of the Inland Seas, I wish also to emphasise the fact that I have kept always in mind another large class of people who are keenly interested in my subject, though not from a commercial standpoint. The present volume is designed to interest this latter class by portraying another side of Lake life—the human side, the romance and the tragedy that have played their thrilling parts upon these waters; the wonders of their progress; the story of their ships, their men, their wars, for of all the pages in the history of the North American continent none are more thrilling, or more filled with the romantic and the picturesque, than those which tell the story of our fresh-water seas.
In conclusion, I wish to say that I owe a great debt of gratitude to the scores of Lake “owners,” ship-builders, and captains who have aided me, in every way possible, in the preparation of this volume, and without whose personal co-operation the writing of it would have been impossible.
J. O. C.
Detroit, Michigan, 1909.
Contents
| PAGE | ||
| PART I | ||
| THE SHIPS, THEIR OWNERS, THEIR SAILORS, AND THEIR CARGOES | ||
| I— | The Building of the Ships | [3] |
| II— | What the Ships Carry—Ore | [25] |
| III— | What the Ships Carry—Other Cargoes | [46] |
| IV— | Passenger Traffic and Summer Life | [68] |
| V— | The Romance and Tragedy of the Inland Seas | [89] |
| VI— | Buffalo and Duluth: the Alpha and Omega of the Lakes | [113] |
| VII— | A Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter | [137] |
| PART II | ||
| ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE LAKES | ||
| I— | Origin and Early History | [159] |
| II— | The Lakes Change Masters | [175] |
| III— | The War of 1812 and After | [194] |
| Index | [223] | |