Georgian Bay Line facts for kids

The Georgian Bay Line was a popular shipping company. Its official name was the Chicago, Duluth and Georgian Bay Transit Company. From 1913 to 1967, this company ran ships on North America's Great Lakes. Their ships carried passengers and offered fun cruise trips.

History of the Georgian Bay Line

How the Company Started

A man named Robert Chenault Davis started the Georgian Bay Line. He used to work for another shipping company. Mr. Davis had a big idea: he wanted ships that carried only people. Most ships back then carried both people and cargo.

Mr. Davis gathered four other business people from Chicago. They worked together to create the company. They also raised money from about 35 investors. This money helped them buy their first ships.

Successful Journeys and Cruises

The Georgian Bay Line began sailing in 1913. Their first ship was the SS North American. It launched in January 1913. The company did very well in its first year. So, they launched a second ship, the SS South American, in February 1914.

These two ships were made of steel. They were very similar, like sisters. The North American was about 280 feet long. The South American was a bit longer, at 321 feet. They carried passengers between many cities. These included Chicago, Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Duluth, Georgian Bay, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. They also stopped at other smaller ports.

In the 1940s, the company bought a third ship, the SS Alabama. This ship used to belong to the Goodrich Transit Company. That was where Mr. Davis had started his career. Each winter, these three ships stayed in Holland, Michigan.

Before World War II, these ships were very important. They helped people travel from one port to another. But after the war, cars became more popular. Roads also got better. So, fewer people needed ships for simple travel. The Georgian Bay Line then focused more on fun cruise trips.

The ships offered week-long cruises. They explored the upper Great Lakes. The South American usually sailed on Lake Superior. The North American explored Lake Michigan. Mackinac Island was a key stop for both ships. It was where their routes met.

Why the Company Closed Down

The Georgian Bay Line faced challenges. Their ships could only sail for part of the year. This was because the Great Lakes freeze in winter. In the 1950s, passenger jets became common. People could fly to warmer places. They could take cruises all year round in places like the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean.

Also, cruise ships in international waters had different rules. They could hire crews from other countries. They did not have to follow U.S. or Canadian labor laws. This made it harder for the Georgian Bay Line to compete.

The company started losing money in the 1960s. In 1963, the North American was retired. This left the South American as one of the last long-distance cruise ships in the U.S. But neither ship met new fire-safety rules.

In 1966, the U.S. Congress passed a law. It said these old passenger ships were too dangerous. They had to stop sailing. The South American made its last trip in 1967.

The North American later sank while being moved. The South American was taken apart for scrap in 1992. The Alabama was turned into a barge in 1961. It stayed afloat until 2005, when it was also scrapped.