In the United States and Canada, there was a time when railroad tunnels and bridges were only dreams in the minds of designers, when the best way to move railroad cars across rivers and lakes was to load them on specialized ships customized for this purpose. With this functional principle in mind, shipbuilders around the Great Lakes and elsewhere built an amazing variety of vessels to do the job quickly, efficiently, and safely. George W. Hilton’s book tells the story of these boats and of the hardworking, heroic men who day after day, year after year, battled mechanical problems, ice, and bad weather, to get the cars safely across the water.

For half a century, the Mackinac Bridge has connected Michigan's peninsulas. Before that, only ferryboats crossed the historic Straits of Mackinac. Huge, ice-crushing railroad ferries first appeared in the 1880s. But by the 1920s, growing automobile ownership, improved roads, and creative tourism promotion brought demands for better, cheaper, and more frequent service. Politicians listened, and in 1923, Michigan became the first state to operate a ferry as part of its highway department. The "Great White Fleet" began with just a tiny used boat and ended with a flotilla including the largest, most powerful ice-breaking ferry in the world. The operation became the biggest employer in the region while battling severe winter weather, partisan politics, and ever-growing lines of summer motorists. Over 34 years, Michigan State ferries united communities, built businesses, and transported millions of eager tourists and travelers across the Great Lakes' "Water Wonderland."

A comprehensive travelogue and guidebook exploring island adventures on many of the 135 islands accessible by ferry or bridge in the Great Lakes Basin.

The iconic Lake Michigan car ferry Badger has been providing reliable service between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, since its maiden voyage on March 21, 1953. Originally built as an ice-breaking ferry hauling railroad freight cars, the Badger now transports passengers, automobiles, recreational vehicles, motor coaches, and commercial vehicles including standard-size tractor/trailers and specialized oversized load trailers. The Badger is the last surviving operational example of a large network of railroad ferries crossing Lake Michigan that had once provided a time-saving shortcut for freight shippers, bypassing the long, circuitous route around the bottom of the lake through Chicago's railyards. Today, the Badger performs a different role, saving time, fuel, and mileage for regional tourists and cross-country travelers, and has been designated the continuance route of US Highway 10. Currently under the ownership of Interlake Maritime Services, the historic 410-foot-long ferry begins its seventh decade of service, continuing to bring joy and adventure to new generations of riders as it contributes to the economic vitality of the cities of Ludington and Manitowoc and surrounding regions.

The historic steamship City of Midland 41 sailed the waters of Lake Michigan for nearly half a century, transporting railroad cars, automobiles, and passengers. After her construction in 1941 by the revered Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, the nation's newspapers and newsreel services covered her launching and maiden voyage with enthusiastic flair. In time, she became the most beloved of all the Great Lakes car ferries. She was built as the flagship for the Pere Marquette Railway's Lake Michigan ferry fleet, and signified a bold departure from traditional Great Lakes vessel design. Her sleek outboard profile, spacious passenger accommodations, and modern interior furnishings were a hit with the traveling public. By the time she was retired from service in 1988, she had served both the Pere Marquette and Chesapeake & Ohio Railroads, transported thousands of travelers as a passenger ferry, and become known as the "Queen of the Great Lakes Car Ferries."

Tin Stackers tells its story of the role of the U.S. Steel Corporation's largest commercial fleet.

The lumbering industry brought thousands of workers and their families to labor in the mills of Ludington and in the forests along the Pere Marquette River in the 19th century. Though some moved on to new lumbering areas, many remained and prospered as Ludington grew to become a manufacturing, transportation, and tourism center in the 20th century. Ludington: 1830-1930 features more than 220 images from the collection assembled by Ludington historian James L. Cabot, which show the progress of the community from a lumber-era boom town to a solid and enduring city. The book focuses on Ludington people and places during this pivotal century. Notable events chronicled within include the 1876 assassination of Luther H. Foster, the precipitous decline in lumbering in the 1890s, and the completion of the Million Dollar Harbor, which in 1914 confirmed the city's status as an important Great Lakes port.

Robert Campbell's Classic Ships of the Great Lakes presents a visually stunning array of historical and present-day inland shipping including passenger ships, whaleback, bulk carriers, self-unloaders, cement carriers, oil tankers, car ferries, super ships, and more.