Masters of the Ludington Steamers

Descendants of PM captain connect with family history at maritime museum

July 6, 2026

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and Sable Points Media.  Masters of the Ludington Steamers Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief LUDINGTON — One of the most rewarding parts of serving as a director of the Mason County Historical Society is sharing Mason County’s…

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From ship enthusiast to carferry captain, Gregg Andersen lived a Lake Michigan dream

June 18, 2026

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and Sable Points Media.  Masters of the Ludington Steamers Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief LUDINGTON — Few people have spent more time watching Lake Michigan carferries than Capt. Gregg Andersen. Long before he commanded the SS Badger,…

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Searching for the masters of Lake Michigan’s railroad steamers

June 15, 2026

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and Sable Points Media.  Masters of the Ludington Steamers Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief Over the weekend I ventured out on a whirlwind Great Lakes maritime history tour. The purpose of the trip was to gather information…

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Four generations of the Butler family helped shape Great Lakes maritime history

June 5, 2026

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and Sable Points Media.  Masters of the Ludington Steamers Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief Editor’s Note: This story was first published on March 16, 2026. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Butler,…

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Three generations of Robertsons commanded carferries

April 19, 2026

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and Sable Points Media.  Masters of the Ludington Steamers Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief Passengers who rode the SS Badger in the mid-1950s might have been surprised to learn the ship was sometimes steered by a little…

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