To catch up with causeway construction, Johnson and Greene worked two shifts hauling rock to the site just south of St. Ignace. The causeway would reach its maximum length during this period, before the war brought construction to a standstill. (Michigan Department of Transportation) This year the St. Ignace News is serializing Les Bagley's unpublished manuscript on the history of Michigan State Ferries, the only link between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas before the Mackinac Bridge was completed 50 years ago. In our last installment, WWII began, and with it came a sharp reduction in ferry travel and tourist traffic. But there was still a glimmer of home for resort, restaurant, and hotel owners.

The Upper Peninsula Development Bureau asked travelers to continue to visit Upper Michigan. In April, the 1942 edition of the "Best Lure Book ever published by the bureau" hit the streets for distribution throughout the Midwest. Sixteen pages longer than earlier versions, the publication featured a beautiful picture "looking out on 'God's Country' from the deck of a State Ferry" to open the Mackinac County section.

While tire rationing slowed travel, motorists were more fearful of a threat to ration gasoline at the start of WWII. Many vacationed early in 1942, slowing tourist travel at the Straits later in the year. Here, the new City of Petoskey backs in for a landing at Mackinaw City. Gas was soon rationed, but, fortunately, the start of the program was postponed until after the 1942 hunting season. (Postcard from author's collection) Secretary George Bishop noted, "With a little extra effort on the part of all individuals engaged in the tourist business, coupled with our increased program, we should have a good tourist year in 1942."

That sentiment was echoed by the Automobile Club of Michigan, which, in May, noted rationing would keep thousands of people in the industrial Midwest close to home. Michigan, the club noted, was a close-by vacation destination.

This is another view of the same lineup. Accommodations in the region were strained to capacity, restaurants ran out of food, and to keep their place in line, motorists idled their cars until they ran out of gas. Some stations installed 50-foot hoses to reach cars still waiting in the line out on the street. Hunting season provided the one bright spot of an otherwise bleak tourist season, already hampered by security measures prohibiting fishing from any of the area's Lake Huron piers. (L.L. Cook postcard from author's collection) "Mark down in your little books that more Michiganians will thrill to Michigan in this 1942 than in any year since there was a Michigan," a AAA spokesman said.

That was sweet news to resort operators, but presented problems for Mackinac Island's growing fudge industry. At nearly the same time, the government announced a new plan under which sugar, a primary fudge ingredient, would be rationed. Island fudge makers would have to scrimp and experiment to ply their trade for the rest of the war.

It didn't take sugar to build the new ferry landing/bridge-causeway, it took rock. And with quarries now caught up, Johnson and Greene worked two shifts from dawn to dusk, and by the end of May, a quarter-mile-long finger of stone poked into the Straits from the northern shore near St. Ignace. Steel arrived for construction of a three span bridge about 700 feet offshore, to allow small boats to pass through the construction close to the beach, but the bridge would not be built until all the fill work was completed. The rest of the two-slip ferry dock and structure was planned for wood construction, owing to wartime shortages of steel beams and sheet piling. As fill work continued, the Highway Department kept busy moving buildings from the right of way near the scenic highway, where the road from the causeway would come ashore.

The threat of rationing meant a drop of 50% in cross-straits traffic, and on Labor Day, one boat was pulled from the schedule. A similar loss was projected for 1942's hunting season. The rationing delay meant the hunting rush was greater than anticipated. With only three boats in service, hunters waited in line nearly eight hours to cross the Straits. This photo may not be from that exact era, but it gives the idea of what traffic in Mackinaw City looked like. (L.L. Cook postcard from author's collection) Workers from J. B. Lund's Sons of Cheboygan were busy in mid- May as well. The Chief Wawatam sailed into that city's MacArthur Dock for a course of machine repairs and improvements, which were expected to take from 10 days to two weeks. At the same time, State Ferry Chief Engineer M. F. Madden checked into the Soo Hospital for cataract surgery. With his eye bandaged, he may have missed Prentiss Brown's announcement that he would run for reelection as U. S. Senator from Michigan. He also missed the Memorial Day Holiday rush at the ferries.

By the end of May, projections for a good tourist year, despite the war, seemed to be panning out. W. S. Woodfill announced that the Grand Hotel had received more early season inquiries than ever before, and more reservations had come from the Eastern Seaboard than usual. To prepare for an anticipated Memorial Day rush, Commissioner G. Donald Kennedy instituted a three boat schedule on May 27, rather than wait until June 1, even though May traffic was actually running about 1% behind the year before. For the week before the holiday, volume was up 17%, however. Under the new schedule, boats left St. Ignace at 12:30, 3:30 and 5:30 a.m., then hourly on the half-hour until 9:30 p.m., with one more sailing at 11:30 p.m. From the Mackinaw City side, boats left at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., and then hourly on the hour until 11 p.m.

To further prepare for the holiday, Highway Department District Engineer Edmond T. Carmody directed a fleet of trucks and equipment to seal-coat the asphalt atop the drives and parking area on Dock 2 across from the Nicolet Hotel. The tar-and-chips seal was rolled on in two coats to seal cracks which had developed in the surface over the winter.

But from Washington came word of a potential "crack" in the rosy tourist forecast for 1942. Rumors began to circulate that the federal government might impose gasoline rationing to further cut use of automobiles and rubber tires for the duration. Motorists scrambled to take vacations early so fuel shortages wouldn't ruin their summer plans. Senator Brown went to work to prevent rationing from keeping Detroit factory workers from commuting to their jobs, noting many drove to work. Even then, a new four-lane expressway was being planned to speed travel to and from Ford's Willow Run bomber plant and the Ford industrial complex in River Rouge. As an afterthought, he hoped to prevent gasoline rationing from destroying the tourist industry in his state. From all sides came proposals and counter proposals, all trying to resolve the issue without forcing the American public to realize America was engaged in war.

Signs appeared all over, however. Greyhound announced curtailment of service on less traveled routes to conserve buses for heavy traffic lines, since no more buses could be purchased. Second sections for many crowded routes were canceled, and charter bus service was eliminated, unless the trip was pre-approved as necessary by the War Department. The bus company asked travelers' patience, as movement for Americans was getting increasingly difficult.

As the ferry fleet prepared for the Memorial Day holiday, ferry workers found themselves moving to the LaSalle High School gymnasium to take exams for the Civil Service Commission. Both dock workers and boat crews were required to take the exams, which took place over several days the last week of May.

With extra boats in service, Memorial Day went well, but the anticipated crush of traffic did not appear. Instead, total traffic fell off a little from the year before, ending up down by about 12% for the year so far. Commercial traffic continued to show gains, however, up 17% in the first five months of 1942. In balance, traffic was only off about 5%, a direct reflection of the wartime economy taking hold across the country.

While the news for resort operators was bad enough, news reached the local maritime community in early June that was even worse. George E. Densmore, the last surviving crewmember of the original Saint Ignace on her delivery voyage from Detroit, had passed away of stroke complications at his home in St. Ignace, about 10 a.m., June 6. He'd spent 45 years working for the Mackinac Transportation Company, and even in retirement had worked as a marine engineer on the state boats until 1938. A long-time link with the region's past, Densmore's pallbearers and honorary pallbearers included a Who's Who list of the Strait's maritime community.

Even with decreased travel, the war quickly was becoming felt on the home front. A boatload of passengers from the S.S. North American checked into the Grand Hotel in June, only to find themselves participating in a "blackout" drill during a dance in the hotel ballroom. The drill affected about 500 guests. It was the first exercise conducted by employees organized into the hotel's own "Civilian Defense Corps." The hotel staff worked closely with other defense units on the Island and in St. Ignace.

Fortunately, the move toward gasoline rationing was postponed at the last minute, with officials from the White House on down agreeing that recreation was important to contribute to morale during the war. Officials cautioned resort operators to "talk of other subjects" and "don't be a worry wart." They noted that guests were vacationing to avoid the war, seeking relaxation to build their morale."

But even without gasoline on the rationing card, travel continued to slow. June 1942 levels fell 6.3% below June 1941, but were still above 1940. For the first half of the year, traffic was down 5.7%. Cool, rainy weather may have contributed to a continued decline at the end of the month, and a requirement to work at war production plants downstate over the holiday meant a lack of Independence Day travel, too.

There was also a threatened strike by ferry workers. Crewmembers represented by C.I.O. Local 382 were still dissatisfied with the wage scales being paid under civil service guidelines, compared to what other great lakes shippers paid. Both the union and the department had agreed to match scales set by the Lake Carrier's Association, but the men claimed that, despite two raises, their pay still did not match. The highway department made another offer, but the men said it was still too little and threatened to walk out at noon on July 3.

At the last minute, the strike was avoided. Governor Murray Van Wagoner issued an executive order proclaiming, "I hereby order you not to strike at the State Ferries. Any differences in pay between the men and the highway department can be worked out at a later date. The war is on and any vital system of transportation must not be held up, even momentarily, at this crucial time."

The men agreed to continue working until the issue could be settled through negotiations, but the seeds of an escalating labor/management rift had been planted, and that rift would grow larger so long as the ferries operated at the Straits.

While holiday travel wasn't directly affected, the strike threat may have also caused some motorists to avoid crossing the Straits that weekend. Those who did, however, got more war-related information. The Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise received a supply of censor approved state highway maps sent out by Commissioner Kennedy to help guide travelers, without helping guide the enemy. The maps were distributed free to motorists, just for the asking.

Maybe a motorist who accidentally injured seaman Durwood Carmean of The Straits of Mackinac as travelers headed south after the holiday was reading one of the maps and not paying attention. Carmean was heaving a line when it accidentally caught on the car bumper. The driver didn't notice, and drove off unexpectedly, painfully straining the muscles in the seaman's arm. He didn't miss much work from the injury, however, because, soon after, sagging travel prompted the Highway Department to tie up The Straits for the rest of the summer. The ferry was laid up at Dock No. 1 to await increased traffic. For a time, a skeleton crew was kept working, should the boat be needed, but it soon became apparent that the only reason would be another boat breaking down. In that case, the crew could be transferred from the disabled ship, so the balance of The Straits' crew was sent home.

By mid-July, travel was off nearly 19% from the year before. Early July showed a decline of more than 40%. About the only tourists visiting were fishermen using inland lakes and shoreline resorts. Those were the only fishing sites available, as the government closed St. Ignace piers and docks to perch fishing in an effort to cut down the chances for sabotage. Even the fishing business was slow. According to some reports, as late as July 23, the "tourist season hasn't begun yet."

While The Straits tied up, the City of Petoskey kept working. And that led to another accident in July, which injured two crewmembers. Chief Engineer Leo Foglesonger and Third Assistant Engineer L. H. Benoit were scalded about their faces when live steam escaped from a capstan. Foglesonger was able to continue working, but Benoit had to lay off, although his burns healed quickly.

A former ferry worker wasn't so fortunate. 30-year old Charles W. "Chuck" Haynes had left the ferries several years before to become a Detroit fireman. In a huge fire on Woodward Avenue, he died of injuries suffered in a fall from a ladder at the fire scene.

All across Michigan, the war was taking its toll. By the end of July, which should have seen the height of the tourist season, traffic on the ferries was down 42.8% from the year before. It was off at least 50% by mid-August. The cumulative total for the year now averaged a decrease of 23.6%.

Tourist resorts were feeling the pinch. At Grand Hotel, Woodfill booked a traveling review troop to present a show called "You Can Defend America," and offered the show free to anyone who wanted to see it. He especially hoped local people would make an effort to attend, primarily wanting to swell the audience, which was sadly lacking in hotel guests. He made a special effort to invite attendance from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City residents.

Co-sponsored and produced by the Moral Re-Armament Corps, which had established a headquarters on the Island, the show played to a packed house, mostly of locals. Nearly 1,000 people saw the three-hour entertainment, which included songs composed particularly to honor the Grand Hotel and it's owner for sponsoring the show at his venue. The program was a meager highlight in a summer otherwise lacking for resort operators and those who depended on tourist travel in the region. Newspaper editorials decried the "tragic blunder" of underestimating Japan's strength, and the strategic importance of rubber, now lost to America and her allies.

Although delayed, the prospect of gas rationing to alleviate the rubber shortage loomed even larger when the government forbade the use of rail tank cars to haul the commodity to 20 Midwestern states. The rail cars were needed to haul heating oil to the East Coast, where shortages of petroleum had begun to appear. Michigan hoped storage tanks and waterborne transportation might avert the crisis for the time being. But auto travel continued to decline, making a dismal August out of what had traditionally been the area's tourism crest.

St. Ignace, alone, lost thousands of dollars owing to closed fishing at the docks and piers downtown. Tourists and hay fever sufferers who could travel went elsewhere. The city noted that since the docks and ships were all under constant surveillance anyway, people armed with only a bucket and a pole could easily be even safer fishing under the watchful eyes of those who guarded the area. The government was unmoved by the plea. One resident noted that at least there would now be three bays for fishing when the war ended. Don Densmore pointed out that in addition to Moran Bay downtown, the new causeway created two new bays, "Densmore's Bay" west of the construction, and "Graham's Pte. Bay" to the east, both of which would probably prove to be fine fishing grounds.

The causeway was just part of the tour made by a group of inspectors from the U.S. Army. The group including Major General George Grunert, commander for the Sixth Corps Area, his aide-de-camp, Captain Brown, and Major General Lawton. They arrived in St. Ignace on August 20 to inspect the ferry service. Deputy Highway Commissioner L. B. Reid guided them, pointing out the various activities of the ferry service and its facilities. The trio judged the boats "a vital transportation link" for the American war effort.

The inspectors' visit was just a prelude to the further inspection conducted by Under Secretary of War Robert F. Patterson a month later. At Governor Van Wagoner's invitation, Patterson and his party flew into the Pellston airport and then motored to Mackinaw City, where they boarded a special sailing of the City of Petoskey for a complete tour of the Straits region. It was part of a three-day industrial transportation tour the Under Secretary was conducting in Michigan. The tour started on September 12, when he dedicated the new defense highway system access roads connecting the Willow Run bomber plant in Detroit and addressed Ford workers. It ended in Muskegon with a huge parade in Patterson's honor. Apparently the ferries impressed the Under Secretary, who also felt they were "a vital link in defense transportation."

Vital or not, the ferries were carrying fewer and fewer automobiles. August traffic fell 48.5% below August 1941 levels, and the yearly average dropped by 32.8%. Officials felt it unlikely more boats would be needed for the Labor Day "rush," so The Straits remained in lay-up while the three larger boats handled the traffic. For the first time in many years, the Chief Wawatam was not even asked to stand by for additional service if needed.

The projections were correct. Labor Day traffic declined 42.9%, and with the holiday over, the City of Munising was pulled from the schedule and sent to Detroit for her three-year dry-docking and inspection.

That left just two boats to maintain the auto service, with one ferry running a 24-hour schedule to accommodate travelers through the nighttime hours. Copies of the new schedule were rushed into print, but were not available immediately after the new times were put into effect. There was no apparent rush. Tourism inquiries had dropped 23% compared to the previous season. It was just one more indicator of the effect WWII was having on the ferries and Upper Michigan's tourism-based economy.

Transportation problems over Labor Day affected nearly everyone. As the holiday began, Captain George Loughlin's grandson, George A. Loughlin of Detroit, ended a two-week visit with his grandparents at the Straits. Unable to get timely train reservations southward at the "end of the season," young George was escorted to Mackinac Island, where he boarded a D&C steamship for the return trip home. His mother had ridden up on the ship to accompany her son homeward.

With the end of vacation season, ferry workers found themselves in a vacation situation not to their liking. The National Maritime Union of America, CIO, polled its Great Lakes members on the question of giving up vacation rights under existing contracts for the duration of the war. The "right" had not found favor with some members, particularly among licensed crewmen who felt a responsibility for their boats, whether they were on a forced "vacation." The enforced "vacation" looked nearly permanent from the perspective of many ferry workers, particularly with the season ending, and little prospect for improved traffic at any time in the near future.

Fortunately, September traffic didn't fall off quite as munch as many expected it would. The decrease was only 11.6%, instead of the 30%-plus drop that had been projected. The annual average, however, still hovered at about a 30% loss.

As the few tourists left the area, resort operators turned toward the 1942 hunting season with trepidation. No one expected much improvement in November traffic, either. There were even rumors that the 1942 deer hunt might be canceled. The army could better use shells that would be used by the hunters, or so the thinking went. That, combined with increasing transportation difficulties, was a major cause for worry. But P. J. Hoffmaster, the Conservation Department director, put minds at ease when he announced the hunt would go on as usual. Most hunters already had their shells, he reasoned, and the nearly 10 million pounds of fresh meat the hunt realized would help many families, if meat were to be rationed, another persistent rumor making the rounds. Finally, Hoffmaster pointed out the need to cull the state's deer herd, which, without hunting, would grow much too large to support itself with the forage available. Besides, the director noted, "Someday we may more appreciate the training and experience obtained by more than 150,000 men armed with rifles who spend a couple of weeks in our north woods every fall."

Still, few hunters were expected, especially when Washington announced that, in addition to automobiles, tires, and sugar, coffee and gasoline would join the list of rationed commodities in late November. Resort operators resigned themselves to drinking about one cup of coffee a day, while they mulled the thought that hunters would stay home, rather than use what little gasoline they might already have to travel to hunt area hunting grounds.

The hunting season wasn't the only thing on Michigan minds that fall. The political season also got underway, with Republican Harry F. Kelley getting the GOP nomination for governor, unopposed at the convention for the first time in Michigan history. Kelley refused to name a slate to run with him against Democratic Governor Van Wagoner, saying the party was "unbossed," and it was the convention delegate's job to name one for him. Van Wagoner made much to-do about the Democratic rally behind him, which allowed him to name a slate with no such problems. Republican Homer Ferguson ran against incumbent Democratic Senator Prentiss Brown, and incumbent Congressman Fred Bradley would face former Soo Mayor Paul L. Adams for his House seat. There was no word on how any of those elected would manage to travel to Lansing or from Michigan to Washington.

There was one piece of good news for travel in September. The steel for the new Cut River Bridge arrived, and erection of the structure began in mid-month. The highest and longest highway bridge in Northern Michigan would carry Highway 2 for a distance of 641 feet at a height up to 146 feet above the river, a vast improvement for travelers.

The incoming steel was quite a contrast to that which was leaving the area. To help the war effort, cities conducted scrap metal drives. Anything not being actively used was fair game for the scrappers, and it became a matter of civic pride to collect more tons of scrap metal than the neighbors. On Mackinac Island, even the historic cannons at Fort Mackinac were targeted for the war effort. Island residents agreed to sacrifice the dozen or so War of 1812 artifacts, but members of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission pleaded that the guns be spared, at least until wooden models and accurate drawings and sketches of them could be made.

The islanders collected nearly 150 tons of scrap metal, excluding the cannons. To move it, on the morning of October 15, the City of Munising, newly returned from River Rouge, was sent to haul 34 big trucks to the Island at the request of Mayor Arthur Chambers and his salvage committee. The trucks and drivers were donated by area hauling businesses and, for a day, the nomotor vehicles rule was overlooked so the materials could be loaded, brought back aboard the ferry, and shipped directly to a scrap dealer in Manistique when the boat arrived in St. Ignace about 6 p.m.

Ferry dock men also got a treat in October when a quintet of Detroit Tigers players crossed the Straits, returning from a visit to Drummond Island. Players Paul Dizzy Trout, Dick Wakefield, Barney McCoskey, Johnny Lipon, and Hal Newhouser took time to talk with the ferrymen, most of whom were avid sports fans. The players were more noticeable because there was so little other travel. The ferries were accurately reflecting the curtailment of nonessential travel throughout the Midwest.

Prior to the November deadline for gas rationing, Michigan imposed "voluntary rationing," and unneeded auto travel practically trickled to a halt. Tourist travel, non-essential as it was, dropped 45% during July and August, the busiest tourist months. September's figures, made up more of "business" travel, only dropped 11%. The figures released by Commissioner Kennedy didn't account for October, a "business" travel month, which still saw a decline of 25.2%.

There was a lot of accounting to do following the defeat of several highly visible candidates in the November elections. Governor Murray D. "Pat" Van Wagoner might well have heeded his aides who previously advised him it was bad luck to call the legislature back into special session. He continued Michigan's 30-year tradition of oneterm governors when Harry F. Kelley defeated him. Michigan's one-term Junior Senator Prentiss M. Brown also found himself looking for new employment. By some 20,000 votes, he lost his bid for reelection to Homer Ferguson, a Detroit Republican. Congressman Fred Bradley won reelection with an 8,000-vote majority over his opponent, Paul Adams.

Senator Brown had found himself embroiled in one campaign issue he hadn't expected. He was the owner of several parcels of property the state needed for causeway access and construction, and he turned down the state's initial offering for the land. His opponent, Homer Ferguson, managed to make the matter a political issue, raising the question of ownership in a debate. Rather than negotiate with the state for the property's true value, which Brown felt might be a conflict of interest, he instead offered to let a public commission, or the courts, determine a fair price for the land. Several other property owners had rejected the state's initials offers as well, and the entire matter went to a public hearing and trial on December 8. The outcome was too late to be a factor in the election.

As Michiganders digested the election news, they also learned that the start of gas rationing had been postponed until December 1. Michigan teachers had been asked to cancel classes for three days in early November to register gas rationing card applicants, but the news arrived just in time to keep schools open for another week. The school closures finally took place November 18 through 20. If that weren't enough, Washington announced that 18 and 19 year old men would now be subject to the military draft.

Those news items gave hunting season just the shot in the arm it needed, and while the number of hunters cars carried on the ferries was about 12.5% below previous years, it was better than the 50% or more loss resort operators had been expecting. Better yet, each auto carried more hunters than ever before. Paid passenger travel was up higher than ever. It turned out to be a record season.

With only three State boats running, northbound hunters waited up to eight hours to cross the Straits. Heavier demands for railroad traffic meant the Chief Wawatam could only help occasionally. The Sainte Marie (II) had no crew and was not available during the rush. Motorists who cut in line were threatened with having their cars thrown in the lake. Rather than get out of line for gasoline, hunters shuttled gas cans to their cars. Some service stations attached 50-foot hoses to their pumps to reach customers cars in line on the street.

The situation was compounded on Friday when a convoy of army troops headed for Fort Brady was given priority ferry loading during the rush. One hunter protested loudly, and other hunters ganged up to chase him off the dock.

Accommodations on both sides of the Straits were jammed to capacity and beyond. This was no "kerosene-kan-kontingent" as had occurred 20 years before. Detroit factory workers, flush with high paychecks, weren't planning on camping. They were looking for first caliber accommodations, and entertainment both in and out of the woods to match.

Yet, even with all the out-of-town hunters, the first buck of the season was bagged by Captain Paddy Brown of the Chief Wawatam, who went out early on opening day before his shift began on the ferry. By the time the season ended, the buck count nearly approached the record kill of the year before. However, the total of deer taken was much lower, as does made a large percentage of the 1941 hunt. Most of the hunters headed home before Thanksgiving. The rush of southbound ferry traffic again taxed the boats in service, though not to the extent of the northbound rush. Most motorists waited only two or three hours before boarding. All in all, the hunting season ended as a surprising success.

The deer hunt wasn't the only worry for outdoorsmen that November. By Thanksgiving, fish- ermen noted an unusually large fish kill in Lakes Michigan and Huron, with tons of smelt and perch washing up on beaches as far away as Little Traverse Bay. Some theorists blamed blasting for the causeway, but more knowledgeable sources credited northwesterly storms, which whipped up raging winds and huge waves that washed schools of fish as far as 75 feet ashore.

Despite the hunters, November showed a 20.7% traffic decrease from the previous year. The yearly total averaged a drop of 28.7%. Commissioner Kennedy predicted the final count for 1942 would be down by nearly 100,000 cars.

The end of November also marked the end of phase one of causeway construction. On Monday, November 30, the crews of contractor Johnson and Greene moved their equipment off the site, and then 24 workers celebrated the end of the job with a dinner at the Homestead clubroom.

Marine subcontractor Luedke Engineering Co. remained on site a few more days to replace several 10- ton boulders with riprap of cut stone along the water. There also was still the pending property condemnation litigation for land near the causeway entrance, but for all practical purposes, causeway construction had come to an end.

On Tuesday, December 1, gasoline rationing began, bringing auto traffic across the Straits to a virtual standstill. That morning the ferries moved about 25 pieces of Johnson and Greene's equipment southbound, and then made two more sailings completely devoid of cars. The next trip carried but two cars, and the following trip had only five. Only about 200 vehicles were carried the entire day, one of the slowest days in ferry history. In light of the decline, ferry officials announced they would decide whether to keep the two-boat schedule in effect the rest of the year, or make changes, by the end of the week. In 1941, the schedule had remained in effect well into the New Year.

One sailor missed the end of the season. Aaron "Mickey" Sweeney, a deckhand who had originally been hired to work on the Ariel out of Port Huron in 1938, had been transferred to the Straits when Blue Water service ended. Sweeney was lashing a tarp across a lifeboat atop the City of Cheboygan's cabin after a boat drill in Mackinaw City when the line he was pulling broke, throwing him off balance. He lost his footing and plunged to the deck below. The fall shattered his right heel. Fortunately, Sweeney would return later in the 1943 season.

The litigants in the condemnation suit returned to court in December. Privately, property owners, including Senator Brown, heard Judge David Murray tell the Highway Department that, based on expert testimony, their property was worth nearly $15,000, while they had initially been offered only $6,221 for the land. The full details of the valuation were withheld from the public until the Highway Department had a chance to review the decision and perhaps file an appeal. They did, and another hearing was scheduled for sometime in 1943.

Soon to be "former Senator" Prentiss Brown also learned he wouldn't be out of work long. Although his Senate term expired with the New Year, the press announced he would probably take over as Director of the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D.C. His nomination was expected January 7, as soon as the new Congress was seated, and his confirmation was expected to be forthcoming.

Another political change was also announced toward the end of December. Highway Commissioner G. Donald Kennedy presented plans to resign after the first of the year. Lost revenues and the downward spiral his entire department was taking weighed heavily on the commissioner, and he left the state for "other fields." As Michigan's most visible Democrat, Kennedy may also have felt he would have too much pressure after Governor Harry Kelley and the Republicans took office January 1. Deputy Commissioner L. B. "Dutch" Reid was left with the headaches when he assumed the office pending election of a new Highway Commissioner in April.

Before leaving office, Kennedy assigned Reid the task of answering a letter written December 10 by Stuart Woodfill of the Grand Hotel. Woodfill noted the decline in auto travel across the straits and suggested that since, obviously, some ferries wouldn't be needed the following years, they might be put on runs from Detroit and Chicago to bring fuel-starved tourists to vacations in Upper Michigan, particularly to the resorts on Mackinac Island. Woodfill proposed that 500 or 600 passengers could be accommodated each trip by converting the car decks for passenger accommodations and serving meals prepared in the existing galleys.

In one of his first correspondences, Reid wrote Woodfill that he appreciated the suggestion, but that to use the boats that way would require extensive modifications and, more importantly, he'd received word from the Office of War Transportation that any surplus ferries would be needed for some sort of war-related service. Reid noted that at least two, if not three, of the boats were being eyed for some other use on the lakes if they were available the following summer.

While summer was still some months off, the new Reid administration didn't even have to worry about running the white fleet when the new commissioner took office in January. December's last weekend brought high winds, falling temperatures, snow, and slush. Windrows built up in the Mackinaw City harbor, and after seven hours bucking the ice trying to land, the Chief Wawatam gave up and returned 200 southbound holiday travelers to St. Ignace. The mercury continued to fall, and by Tuesday, December 29, the State Ferries were ordered to lay up for the year, leaving the Sainte Marie (II) alone to handle the auto run. Her winter schedule called for southbound sailings at 5:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. Northbound runs were made at 7 and 10:30 a.m. and 1:30, 4:30 and 7 p.m.

Despite the weather, in the face of the rubber shortage, the rationing board generously authorized purchase of three pair of boots in all of Mackinac County during December.

Next Week: Several months of Mr. Reid.

Copyright 2007 by Les Bagley. All rights reserved.