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The Sam Laud, right, and Joyce L. VanEnkevort and Great Lakes Trader tug/barge at Carmeuse’s Calcite Quarry in Rogers City on Sunday.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
On Sunday and Monday, I headed to northern Michigan for two days of maritime history and genealogy research. My ultimate destination was Sault Ste. Marie, where I wanted to visit and photograph the grave of Capt. John W. Duddleson (1846-1927), one of more than 70 captains I have been researching who commanded vessels that were part of Ludington’s cross-lake railroad transportation service.
The captain biographies have become a long-term project with two goals. The first is to publish their stories in a book documenting the men who helped build and operate Ludington’s cross-lake railroad transportation service. The second is to create a new interactive exhibit at the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum that will allow visitors to explore the lives and careers of these remarkable mariners. Visiting the gravesites of the captains has become an important part of my research. Standing where they are buried creates a connection that cannot be found in newspapers, government records or census reports. It is partly inspiration, perhaps even a bit of a spiritual connection, but it is also practical. Headstones often reveal family relationships, military service and other details that help fill gaps in the historical record.
The bell of the Carl D. Bradley on display at the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum.
Since I was already traveling north, I also planned to visit the graves of several family members I had only recently become aware of. Their graves are located near Tower, Onaway and Cheboygan, making Rogers City a natural first stop on my journey.
Anyone with an interest in Great Lakes maritime history should make time for Rogers City. Known as Michigan’s Nautical City, the community has been intertwined with commercial shipping for more than a century through its massive limestone quarry and the generations of sailors who have called the city home. It is also home to the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum, a small museum that tells the story of those mariners better than almost any other institution on the lakes.
The museum’s exhibits span centuries of Great Lakes history, but they focus on the people rather than simply the ships. Visitors will find artifacts, uniforms, navigation equipment, photographs and personal memorabilia donated by sailors and their families. Two exhibits are especially moving. One commemorates the loss of the SS Carl D. Bradley, which broke apart in a Lake Michigan storm on Nov. 18, 1958, taking the lives of 33 crew members, including 23 from Rogers City. Another tells the story of the Cedarville, which sank in the Straits of Mackinac following a collision with the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord on May 7, 1965, claiming 10 lives. Together, the exhibits illustrate both the dangers of Great Lakes shipping and the profound effect those tragedies had on the communities that supplied the crews.
Sailors’ Memorial
What I expected to be a visit to a well-respected, quaint museum turned into an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of life on the Great Lakes from a retired captain who had spent more than four decades on the water.
That captain was Michael J. Merrick, who volunteers at the museum on Sundays. Merrick graciously spent more than an hour with me discussing his career and answering my many questions. His stories transformed my visit from simply viewing artifacts into hearing firsthand what it was like to spend a lifetime working on the Great Lakes.
Born Nov. 21, 1955, in Dearborn, Merrick began sailing in 1974 at the age of 18 as a porter aboard the T.W. Robinson. He later became a deckhand aboard the John G. Munson before earning his third mate’s license in 1987, serving under Capt. Francis Altman aboard the Philip R. Clarke. In 1997, he earned his master’s license and became relief captain aboard the Cason J. Callaway. His first permanent command came in 2007 aboard the Philip R. Clarke, and in 2009 he took command of the Cason J. Callaway. He retired in August 2015 after a 41-year career on the Great Lakes.
Prior to visiting the museum, I drove a short distance to Harbor View Park, one of the best places on the Great Lakes to watch commercial shipping. The park overlooks Carmeuse’s Calcite Quarry, one of the largest limestone quarries in North America and the economic engine that has defined Rogers City for generations. Since the early 20th century, millions of tons of high-calcium limestone have been mined there and shipped throughout the Great Lakes for use in steelmaking, construction, agriculture and numerous industrial applications.
Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum.
The harbor was especially active during my visit. The 640-foot self-unloading freighter Sam Laud was loading limestone while nearby the articulated tug-barge combination Joyce L. VanEnkevort and Great Lakes Trader was also taking on cargo. I was able to launch my drone from Harbor View Park and capture aerial photographs of both vessels working beneath the towering quarry. Even without the drone, the park offers a great view complete with an observation tower. Watching the two commercial vessels loading simultaneously offered a remarkable perspective on the scale of an operation that continues to make Rogers City one of the busiest limestone ports on the Great Lakes.
While I was exploring Rogers City, I discovered the community has done an excellent job interpreting its maritime heritage through a series of historical markers located throughout the city. At Harbor View Park, interpretive signs explain the history of the Calcite shipping fleet and the Port of Calcite entry light, helping visitors better understand the limestone industry that has shaped Rogers City for more than a century. Downtown, additional markers tell the stories of historic buildings, businesses and the city’s development, while another display features an emergency steering wheel once used aboard one of the Bradley Transportation Co.’s Great Lakes freighters. Together, the signs create a self-guided tour that complements a visit to the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum.
A wider view of Carmeuse’s Calcite Quarry
Located at the Rogers City Marina, the Rogers City Sailors’ Memorial is one of the stops along the community’s maritime history trail and is well worth taking the time to visit. The memorial pays tribute to the men from Rogers City who lost their lives while working aboard Great Lakes vessels, ensuring their sacrifices are not forgotten.
As I drove north toward Sault Ste. Marie, I realized my trip was already off to a memorable start. Rogers City had provided everything I hoped to find—a fascinating museum, a chance to learn from a veteran Great Lakes captain and some time photographing active commercial shipping. It was the perfect introduction to a journey centered on the people, places and history that continue to shape my research.
In my next column, I’ll continue to Sault Ste. Marie, where visits to Riverside Cemetery, the Museum Ship Valley Camp, the Soo Locks and the king of the Boat Nerds, added new perspectives to my ongoing research into Ludington’s cross-lake railroad transportation service.
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