At left, as ferry crewmembers watched the foundations of the Mackinac Bridge rise just west of the ferry route, they began to pin hopes for future employment on alternate ferry runs between Michigan's peninsulas. To solicit support, they circulated a multi-page flyer with the headline, "Lets Open Up the West." Talks about a second ferry route across Lake Michigan from Frankfort to Menominee had continued on and off since 1951. (Author's collection) The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957, putting the fleet of Michigan State Ferries out of business. In his unpublished history of the fleet, author Les Bagley has traced auto travel across the Straits of Mackinac from the little Airel of 1923 to the powerful Vacationland, the last boat built for the service. As ferry crewmen watched the bridge being built in 1954, they increasingly turned toward a littleknown state commission for hope they might have jobs after the bridge opened.

When winter came, the Vacationland and Chief Wawatam almost always had the Straits of Mackinac to themselves, as construction equipment was moved into St. Ignace, Cheboygan, and other nearby ports for winter lay-up. There was little to see of the bridge construction in winter, as this aerial view looking south from the causeway attests. (Mackinac Bridge Authority) Part 51: A Ferry to Somewhere

Else - Maybe

By Les Bagley

Formed in 1950, Governor G. Mennen Williams' "Inter-Peninsula Communications Commission" had not addressed itself solely to promoting the Mackinac Bridge. The body originally consisted mostly of engineers, who studied how to improve Commissioner Charles Ziegler's ferry service at the Straits and to advise the governor of their suggestions.

But the Michigan Legislature was also concerned about the "Straits bottleneck." In 1951, the House passed Concurrent Resolution #18, providing for a special committee of the legislature to study the possibility of additional ferry service, from the western Upper Peninsula to a point somewhere on the Lower Peninsula. House Concurrent Resolution #48 continued the work. It provided that three members of the House and three from the Senate report findings and recommendations to the 1953 legislature. While the six members weren't paid, they did receive reimbursement for travel and other expenses they incurred.

The 5-boat Michigan State Ferry fleet, two rail ferries of the Mackinac Transportation Company, and the many passenger boats to Mackinac Island were suddenly joined at the Straits by one of the largest peacetime flotillas ever assembled. Merritt Chapman and Scott moved in dozens of vessels for construction of the Mackinac Bridge foundation piers, making St. Ignace harbor a very busy place. In this Hiawatha Postcard view, tugs and barges are part of a floating Prepakt Concrete plant used for much of the underwater construction. (Author's collection) The committee first met August 28, 1951, in the Menominee City Hall. Senator James Goulette, who'd introduced the resolution, chaired the gathering. He introduced H. F. Orth of Menominee, who pointed out the great distances and roundabout route between the peninsulas for those who lived in the westernmost parts of the state. Orth compared the six round trips the Ann Arbor ferries made to his community and the additional six made to Manistique to the 116 trips a week made by ferries from Michigan to points in Wisconsin. He said that 12 trips to western upper Michigan were totally insufficient, giving businesses in Wisconsin a much greater edge.

He also noted the Pere Marquette ferries had better passenger accommodations than the Ann Arbor boats, inducing even more people to go to Wisconsin. He said a new state ferry route from Frankfort to Menominee would mean a more direct route to Michigan from Michigan; it would put Menominee on the map, help other nearby communities, and help eliminate the bottleneck at the Straits.

While Manistique citizens lobbied for a state ferry to Northport, the Menominee route came complete with support letters from the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau, the U.P. Chamber of Commerce, and dozens of other notable agencies and individuals, including the State Economic Development Department. But Senator Joseph Cloon cautioned that even with full boats, the plan might lose money, as the ferries at the Straits were losing $500,000 a year.

Able T. Guy from the Menominee Chamber of Commerce suggested temporary docks could be built for around $4,000 per terminal for side-loading boats, and added that while the Ann Arbor did make six trips a week, their boats often left at midnight, and more often even later, inducing many people to drive, instead of waiting for a boat to leave at an unspecified time.

As if to echo the sentiments, Frankfort Mayor George Bennett arrived late to the meeting. His Ann Arbor sailing was supposed to leave at 6 p.m. the night before, but finally sailed after 11 p.m. Representative Kenneth Tucks said he'd taken a boat to Kewaunee and bought gas in Wisconsin to make the Menominee meeting on time.

Since at that time, in 1951, there was still no bridge in sight and the entire state fleet was desperately needed at the Straits, the meeting was concluded with discussions of what boats might be available. Teams and individuals were assigned to inspect them.

The committee next met on October 12, 1951, in Frankfort, and heard the West Michigan Tourist and Resort Association's 1,400 members endorse the Menominee-Frankfort state ferry idea. Mr. Guy reported the Ann Arbor had volunteered use of one of its docks, so long as it didn't interfere with their operations, and would cooperate in any way possible for a service trial.

The Highway Department's George Foster noted he'd inspected some of the steamers owned by the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company. To carry very many cars, they'd have to be modified to the tune of $3 to $5 million each, and they were side-wheel vessels, not capable of operating in the winter. He said a new vessel, similar to the Vacationland that was then being built, would probably be cheaper for the route in the long run.

Foster also noted a former LST was available from Florida, as was

floating drydock, which might be modified if a ferry was needed quickly, but each of those vessels had their own drawbacks. But when asked if a new ferry run would eliminate congestion at the Straits, Foster said he doubted it.

"Does the highway department think additional service is necessary between both peninsulas, leaving out the Straits?" Guy asked. Foster responded, "I think we want to do everything we can to promote a closer relationship between the upper and lower peninsulas. We realize there is a barrier to be bridged, not by a physical bridge, but of the gap to bring the two areas closer together in a business way. I'm sure anything practical and feasible would be looked on in a favorable manner."

Guy then asked Foster about the possibility of a real bridge, and Foster said, "I am not against a bridge, its an engineering possibility. Its merely a question of educating the people of Michigan to the cost. But as I've said before, we haven't built the last boat for the Straits of Mackinac yet. Does that answer your question?"

As time would soon tell, Foster was wrong. The Vacationland, then being built, would be the last state auto ferry constructed. Yet, even after bridge construction began, the committee, now under House Resolution #33, continued to meet through 1953 and beyond.

In the summer of 1954, as the crews on all the state ferry fleet watched the flotilla from Merritt- Chapman & Scott constructing the foundations for their demise, they grew more and more interested in the hearings held by the ferry committee and became more and more frustrated at the lack of results the committee achieved. The State Ferry Employees Committee even began a lobbying effort of its own to have the Menominee-Frankfort run instituted.

Since up to 500 ferry workers would lose their jobs when the bridge was finished, the new run seemed like a natural opportunity for at least some of them to continue state employment. The current fleet could easily be transferred to the new run once the bridge opened, saving much of Michigan's ferry investment.

To help the lobbying effort, the ferry employees produced a twosided flyer, complete with an origin and destination map and list of benefits the service would provide. More than 18,000 copies were distributed during the 1954 hunting season. When Governor Williams was reelected that November, Employee Association Vice-president Russell Van Avery even sent him a copy, asking for help persuading the legislature to authorize reconditioning the Petoskey, Munising, and Vacationland to make them more seaworthy on a cross-lake run.

As calendars turned to 1955, some ferry workers were already feeling the layoff pinch. In the middle of January, the Mackinac Transportation Company laid off over a dozen workers when their ferries stopped carrying passengers for the final time. Instead of ferrying whole passenger trains, the Chief Wawatam now only carried baggage, mail, and freight cars. Passengers were transferred by taxi from the train stations to the state dock, where they caught the auto ferry to the other side.

In late January, even more St. Ignace men lost employment when the huge Paul Bunyan lumber mill burned to the ground. The fire left thousands of dollars in cut timber out in the woods with no place to mill it, and it left contractors helpless to pay off their employees for the work they'd done to fell it. Embers from the conflagration threatened to engulf several ferry employees' homes. Dockmaster Frank Paquin loaded his car with as many household items as would fit, prepared to evacuate. Fortunately, all surrounding homes were spared.

In Lansing, Republicans licked their wounds from a drubbing in the November elections. Those still in office tried to align themselves with Democratic proposals, including passage of an amendment to the State Constitution allowing a $500 million bond issue for highway construction. While Governor Williams demanded immediate passage so he could exercise more control over the Highway Department, Republicans stalled, pending the results of the first complete survey of Michigan's highway needs since 1947. The GOP also insisted on a detailed plan to finance the bond issue, noting, "Without a financing plan, it's a fraud on the public."

Commissioner Ziegler cited the cost of building highways, which had increased 148% since 1948, meaning that it would actually take more than $600 million to bring the state's highways up to modern standards, despite the recently-passed gasoline tax increase. Ziegler sought an additional 2¢ tax increase to help pay for the needed construction. Governor Williams, of course, disagreed, saying Ziegler could do the job with no new taxes. Republicans remained skeptical, even about how to finance the bond proposal that was scheduled to go before voters in April.

The new Democrat-controlled legislature immediately took to lambasting Ziegler for just about everything he tried to do, and even some Republicans began to wonder if the highway commissioner was a partisan liability. But Ziegler remained calm; he still had three years remaining on his current term and he planned to use that time to build as many roads as possible with the money available to his department.

Even in his "Ferry Tales" column, Sim Christensen implored leaders to keep politics out of the Highway Department.

By February, the ice bridge had formed to Mackinac Island for the first time in several years, and in Petoskey, the Mackinac Bridge Celebration Committee changed its name to the Mackinac Bridge Promotion Committee. It voted to send representatives to the American Bridge Company in Pittsburgh, to discuss employment prospects for local labor when bridge superstructure construction started. Meanwhile, plans were announced to build an even longer suspension bridge across the entrance to New York Harbor.

Through late January, ice and snow covered Michigan, reducing early 1955 ferry traffic below the year before. The bad weather continued into February.

One morning as the Vacationland neared the St. Ignace dock, the dockmen saw a tiny duck struggling frantically to get out of the big ferry's way. The poor duck tried hard to rise above the water but was held fast by ice-encrusted wings. Merle McLeod and Tony Cremer scooped it out of the way just in time. Tony took it home, where it recuperated nicely in the company of his small flock of geese.

But the weather brought bad news, as well. On the morning of February 16, 65-year-old Deputy Highway Commissioner Harry C. Coons shoveled the driveway at his Lansing home before driving to the office. En route, he suffered a massive heart attack. His car crashed head-on into a tree. Despite a history of recent heart trouble, Coons had ignored the advice of family and friends to seek treatment. His death left a hole in department hierarchy, which was only partially filled when Commissioner Ziegler appointed Assistant Chief Engineer Carl A. Weber as a replacement. Weber had joined the department as a rodman in 1920.

The Cheboygan's chief engineer, Jack Williams, was also hospitalized for an operation that winter. Little Traverse Hospital in Petoskey was short on rooms, so for his hernia he was quartered in the maternity ward, to the amusement of hospital staff, who informed him after surgery that he'd had twins. And Dockmaster Frank Paquin finally got to remove the neck brace he'd worn since fracturing two vertebrae when he slipped on the ice at St. Ignace Dock 3 in December 1953. He reported he still had trouble turning his head and was afraid he'd miss seeing any pretty girls.

As the winter wore on, several Cheboygan residents who worked in the fleet began growing beards for their town's centennial celebration. And with most of the winter off, ferry staff vacationed, bowled, played cribbage, and enjoyed a wide range of cold-weather activities until the fleet fitted out for the coming season. It was also the centennial of the fist Soo Locks, and vessel owners and civic groups geared up for the opening of the Great Lakes shipping season. The actual anniversary celebration was scheduled for June 18.

The weather caused little delay for the Vacationland in February, but traffic continued its downward spiral, with an 8.4% decrease in crossings compared to 1954.

March traffic also declined by 2.6%. Maybe it was because strong winter storms raked much of the state late in the month. Highway crews battled swirling snow and drifts in futile attempts to keep roads open. Winds and cold did millions of dollars in damage in the Detroit area alone. At the Straits of Mackinac, the Mackinaw encountered ice windrows 30 thick. Mackinac Island was cut off for three days with no groceries, milk, or mail delivery. Merritt-Chapman & Scott announced it had no plans to resume bridge construction anytime soon. The annual decrease in first-quarter ferry traffic was pegged at 1.9%, according to Commissioner Ziegler's office.

But by early March, the Highway Department surveyors had begun preliminary studies of a route to the west of Highway 2 for a proposed four-lane connection from the bridge to north of St. Ignace.

In Lansing, Iron Mountain Republican Representative James Goulette introduced a bill to make it a misdemeanor to sell anything or pass out any literature on the Mackinaw City or St. Ignace ferry docks. His bill was again met with strong opposition from vendors and hawkers who made their summer livings on the docks.

In mid-month, crews returned to steam up the City of Munising, a sight noted by the Republican-News as a "sure harbinger of spring." Soon the other steamers also began to fit out, and by early April, navigation returned to the area when the season's first freighter was sighted off Mackinac Island. On April 6, the second construction season also began for building the Mackinac Bridge.

In early April, Mackinac Islanders took offense to a St. Ignace plan to levy fees on passenger ships docking under the jurisdiction of a proposed "St. Ignace Port Commission." Only the state ferries were to be exempted, while boats from Arnold Transit, other island ferry operators, and even the Mackinac Transportation Company would pay 25¢ per round-trip passenger. Of course, railroad passengers no longer rode the railroad ferries. While the plan was similar to one proposed earlier by Mackinac Island, and nobody in St. Ignace had apparently complained, that plan fell through. The Islanders called for greater city to island "cooperation" by defeat of the St. Ignace plan as well.

Since they were exempted from the passenger surcharge, the fee had nothing to do with a modified state ferry toll that took effect with the spring schedule on April 30. Passenger fares were actually lowered from 35¢ to a quarter. Children under 12 continued to ride free. But the major change was the adoption of a $2.50 toll for all autos, regardless of their size. Prior to the spring schedule, smaller cars paid a lower fare.

The larger steamboats again ran the scheduled sailings while the diesel icebreaker got a break, but stood by in case she was needed. The Straits of Mackinac was sent to the shipyard in River Rouge for early season maintenance, returning in early May.

As the Highway Department geared up for busy season, returning ferry workers were confronted with an increasing problem. The huge influx of bridge workers and their families competed for what few rooms, apartments, and rental houses were available in the Straits region. The law of supply and demand pushed rents up by as much as double, pricing many returning workers out of the accommodations they'd previously enjoyed. While grocery prices remained steady, prices in restaurants shot up, accompanied by increased prices for other services and some commodities as well.

The ferry workers noted that the crews working on the bridge could better afford the higher prices; they were working for union scale and received overtime for anything over 40 hours, plus premium time for weekends and holidays, and even a night shift differential. So, again, the grass seemed greener over at Merritt-Chapman & Scott, and a few more ferry workers tried to jump ship. While M-C&S was winding down operations, since the major foundation work would be done that summer, the company still appeared to hire some men from the ferries. Perhaps the most notable "defector" was Norm Paquin, a mate who many, including Superintendent George Lloyd, considered to be about the best boat handler in the fleet.

He took a job piloting an MC& S tugboat, but he didn't do much tugging. He was assigned to transport the bridge superintendent, special guests, the media, and VIPs on tours of the construction site. Apparently he'd been recruited by M-C&S for his superior skills and knowledge of local waters.

Paquin gave 30-days notice, and Supt. Lloyd had plenty of time to find a replacement. In fact, there's evidence Lloyd may have even recommended him for the job, saying he was welcome to come back to the ferries at any time. But fearful that others might want to follow more quickly, Lloyd quietly asked Commissioner Ziegler to intercede, and persuade M-C&S to make sure the men they hired gave two weeks notice. Ziegler wrote to Bridge Chairman Prentiss Brown, requesting he use his influence with MC& S for the request.

While this was all done behind the scenes, the story quickly leaked in a small community like St. Ignace. But as is often the case, the gossip was distorted. Ferry workers believed their boss had asked Brown to pressure M-C&S not to hire ferry workers at all, perhaps even fire those now on their staffs. They cited how many workers had tried to switch but had not been hired. They blamed Commissioner Ziegler and Chairman Brown directly.

In truth, Merritt-Chapman & Scott and American Bridge, the contractor that followed, did very little hiring of their own. The bridge contractors hired only union labor and their marine employment was handled by various Great Lakes union halls, the nearest of which was at the Soo. Since they were under Michigan Civil Service rules, Michigan ferry workers were not union members, so they wouldn't have been considered for most bridge employment, anyway.

By now, the region was divided into two camps. One thought the bridge would be local business salvation, the other felt the loss of the ferries would mean doom.

As rumors and gossip spread, relations were further strained between the ferry workers and their friends on one side, Capt. Lloyd and Commissioner Ziegler in the middle, and even the iconic Senator Brown and bridge supporters on the other.

Former friends no longer spoke with each other. No one resorted to violence, but resentments kindled earlier flared anew, and bitterness about the bridge, the way ferry workers were being treated by their boss in Lansing, and the way the entire matter was handled seethed for years.

Next week: Another strike threat!

Copyright 2007 by Les Bagley. All rights reserved.

If you have information, photos or State Ferry stories you'd like to share with author Les Bagley, please contact him via e-mail at les @divco.org, or through The St. Ignace News office.