The Ships

The Marinette was a large ship, the largest in gross tons ever built on the east shore of Lake Michigan. She was175 feet long and 35 feet wide, made of solid oak. She was capable of carrying six-hundred and fifty thousand feet of lumber or thirty-five thousand bushels of grain. She was built at the same time as her sister ship, the Menekaunee. They were usually towed by steambarges, but could hoist their sails if needed. On the day of her launching in Saugatuck on May 17th, 1873, people came from miles around to see the sight. The streets were crowded with pedestrians, and country wagons filled with folks came pouring into the town. She was launched with the traditional wine-bottle christening, to the sound of great cheering. It was quite a tumultuous scene. Over the next few years, she and the Menekaunee worked together carrying cargo, usually lumber, to Chicago, in part as a result of the terrible Chicago fire of 1871 which destroyed most of the city and therefore required and enormous amount of lumber for rebuilding.

Photo of the Our Son, similar to the Marinette and Menekaunee