The Mason County Quiz, Carferries, April 26, 2024

The Mason County Quiz is presented by Lake Michigan Senior Living, located on the bluffs of Lake Michigan in beautiful Summit Township.

How much do you know about Mason County?

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

1. What year was the SS Spartan carferry launched? 

a. 1941

b. 1952

c. 1953

d. 1979

B: 1952

The SS Spartan was launched in 1952, the first of two sister ships built for the C&O Railroad by Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The sister ship, SS Badger, was launched the following year, 1953.

2. What was the last year the SS City of Midland 41 sailed as a carferry?

a. 1941

b. 1973

c. 1988

d. 1997

C. 1988

The SS City of Midland 41 was launched in 1941. When the Chessie System shut down carferry operations in 1983, the boats were sold to Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company, a local company owned by Glen Bowden and George Towns. The company’s mission was to continue cross-lake rail and passenger service, initially utilizing the SS City of Midland until, in 1987, U.S. Coast Guard inspections showed the boiler mounts on the 47-year-old ship had deteriorated and needed replacement. The company then replaced the Midland with the SS Badger as its flagship.

3. What year did the SS Badger begin sailing under the company name Lake Michigan Carferry Service?

a. 1947

b. 1953

c. 1983

d. 1992

D. 1992

The SS Badger launched in 1953 as the last carferry in the C&O Railroad fleet. The C&O had acquired the Pere Marquette Railway in 1947. In 1991, Ludington native and Holland businessman Charles Conrad purchased the carferries from Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company following its bankruptcy. The Badger re-entered service under the company, Lake Michigan Carferry Service, in 1992.

Lake Michigan Senior Living, 4895 S. Lakeshore Dr. in Summit Township, offers beautiful views of Lake Michigan, activities and exceptional care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The facility consists of four housing units on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. For more information, call 231-843-9963 or go to www.lakemiseniorliving.com.

 __________

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month.

The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.

Alternative methods:

We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

We also accept Venmo payments.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).  We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

fb.com/stars

Mike Shaw

Eats & Drinks

Eats & Drinks

Eats & Drinks

Eats & Drinks