HISTORY OF CAR FERRY SERVICE ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN

Provided by Lake Michigan Carferry Service

1875	The Flint and Pere Marquette Railway initiates cross-lake ferry service from Ludington, Michigan to Sheboygan, Wiscosin. The first ferry (break-bulk steamer) is the 175-foot John Sherman.
1890	Ferry service is expanded to include routes to Manistee, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Nov. 1892	James M. Ashley, former governor of Montana and then president of the Ann Arbor Railroad, begins transporting loaded railroad cars (the first railroad car ferry) between Frankfort, Michigan and Kewanee, Wisconsin.
Feb. 1897	The Pere Marquette, the first steel carferry on Lake Michigan, sails from Ludington on her maiden voyage to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Hailed as a "titan of size and power," she carried 22 freight cars, railroad officials, and a brass band to celebrate this new type of vessel.
1900	Flint and Pere Marquette Railway merges with the Chicago & West Michigan and the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroads, and is renamed the Pere Marquette Railway.
1920s	Postwar prosperity brings an increased demand for service. Several vessels are added to meet the needs of cross-lake service.
March 1940	The world's largest car ferry of its time, the City of Midland, is launched in Manitowoc. It is the first car ferry to have passenger accomodations on two decks and the first with an automobile deck above the railcar deck.
1947	The Pere Marquette Railway is acquired by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
1952	The S.S. Spartan and the S.S. Badger are added to the fleet as the largest car ferries ever built, at a cost of $5 million each. During the year, the fleet makes nearly 7,000 lake crossings, carrying 205,000 passengers, 71,000 automobiles and more than 200,000 freight cars.
1964	Badger's superstructure raised 18" to accommodate a taller railroad car.
1975	Citing the rising cost of vessel upkeep, increasing labor and fuel costs and advances in railroad technology, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad begins the longest railroad abandonment procedure in U.S. history.
Oct. 1980	Service to Milwaukee is abandoned
Jan. 1982	Service to Manitowoc is abandoned.
July 1983	The Chesapeake & Ohio sells its three remaining ferries, the S.S. Badger, S.S. Spartan and City of Midland, to new owners Glen Bowden and George Towns. The car ferry service operates under the new name of the Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company (MWT).
Nov. 1990	MWT ceases operations, bringing a halt to a century of car ferry service between Michigan and Wisconsin.
July 1991	Holland, Micigan resident Charles Conrad purchases the S.S. Badger, S.S. Spartan, and City of Midland from MWT and renames the service Lake Michigan Carferry Service, Inc. Conrad pledges to renovate the vessels and re-establish service between Ludington and Manitowoc by the spring of 1992.
Nov. 1991	Bowden declares bankruptcy and the ferries are seized by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which nullifies the sale of the vessels to Conrad and orders the vessels sold to meet the demands of Bowden's creditors.
Feb. 1992	On the advice of the Court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, the Court awards the vessels to Charles Conrad of the Lake Michigan Carferry Service, which reaffirms its promise to resume car ferry service on Lake Michigan beginning in May 1992. The S.S. Badger will be the first of the car ferries to resume her place on the lake.
June-Sept. 1992	The S.S. Badger ferries 115,000 passengers and 34,000 vehicles between Ludington and Manitowoc. Travelers from all 50 states and several foreign countries that ride the car ferry find it to be a unique travel experience.
May 1995	The "Michigan Vacation Showboat" is held aboard the S.S. Badger to showcase the Michigan travel industry at Chicago's Navy Pier.
Jan. 1996	Construction of an expanded auto deck increases the Badger's auto carrying capacity by 30%, allowing up to 180 autos per crossing. Additional lounge seating and the "Badger Boatel" are added to enhance passenger comfort and convenience.

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