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History in your own Backyard!
www.marinecitymich.org
Marine City Museum
September, 2005
Editors note, the following is an
editorial from the Great Lakes Modeling Association obtained
from an interview and photographic session by Jeff Churill.
Me visit with John Foley at the Marine
City Museum.
Full
image gallery of Diorama
 Every
now and then in this hobby of ours, I come across a project of
someone that just blows my mind. I recently had the honor of meeting
John Foley, a model build from Marine City and curator of the Marine
City Museum. He's nothing short of a perfectionist when it comes to
his model, building to
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE standards. You may have come across some of
his work at museums around the Great Lakes, such as: Edmund
Fitzgerald and the 30 foot Belle River at the Valley Camp Museum
Ship in Sault St. Mary.
www.thevalleycamp.com John is also know for his many model plan
drawings from Great Lakes Model Shipyards, Marine City, MI.
 One
Johns outstanding model is located at the Marine City Museum. It's a
30 foot diorama of the Belle River in the late 1800's that he
started in 2001. The Belle River runs from North of Romeo Michigan
all the way down threw Marine City where it enters into the St.
Clair River. At the time ships where built of wood and the area had
a lot of it. Like many of the small towns along the St. Clair River,
small shipyard sprung up everywhere in the early to mid 1800's.
Marine City was a exception with 5 or so shipyards lining the Belle
River and the banks of the St. Clair River.
 Since
the ships where made of wood their length was limited in size and
length, wood was simply not strong enough and the ships rarely
exceeded 200 feet. At the time some of the largest vessels in the
world were on the Great Lakes. Many shipyards around the world where
amazed they could build ships of that size made of wood. The trick
was having the hull held together with iron straps and a large
wooden bridge type frame that ran the length of the hull.
 There
where hundreds of ships built out of Marine City in four main types.
One such type was the typical Great Lakes Schooner such as the
DAYTON. This where the main source of transportation around the
Great Lakes throughout the 1800's. Image cutesy of Bowling Green
State university
 Second
type was the side-wheelers or steamers that typically ferried people
up and down the St. Clair River and Detroit River, such as the
KEWEENAW. At the time this was the main source of travel between
Port Huron and Detroit area's.
 Third
with the advent of the propeller came the boats known as "Rabbits"
they carried many cargos but mainly lumber throughout the Lakes,
such as the SICKEN, M. They where severely underpowered and often
held at the mercy of any storm they came across.
 Fourth
type would be the boats known as "Steam Barges" or "Lumber Hookers"
again carrying many cargos but many lumber. They where a better
version of the Rabbits with the pilot house moved to the bow, but
still severely underpowered. They where the beginning of the classic
"Laker" design we know today. Often they would be seen towing barges
full of lumber, hens the name "Lumber Hookers". The barges where
often water logged converted schooners built years before.
 The
ship build stopped when they started to by built of iron and steel.
The wooden ships where simply no longer practical. The size of the
Belle River was restricted to smaller boats and could not handle any
larger iron ships being built. By the turn of the century
shipbuilding had all but stopped in light of a new age of ships
building. For 3 quarters of a century Marine City was a major part
in the development of the Midwest, just like many small ship
building towns of the day.
 Several
homes and builds of the time are still standing today. Interesting
to know that many of them built using the same wood used on the
ships. One such build is the McLouth Docks. Today it's used as a
gravel dock where Lakers unload limestone, but back in the day it
was the McLouth Shipyard. McLouth was the main figure in Marine
City, he and his family having a big roll in the development of the
town. Latter McLouth had a hand in the building of Detroit Dry-dock
Company.
 One
of the more interesting parts about Marine City is the export of
Salt. For a number of years salt was at great demand, so much so
that the government would subsidized every pound of salt produced. A
few salt mines where built along the St. Clair River, one in St.
Clair, Marine City and another just South of Marine City known as
the Salt Dock. The "Salt Dock" is used today as a ship check in
point for Sarnia traffic, although it's only mark be a buoy today.
These salt plants where not your typical mines thou. Salt was
extracted from the ground by drilling wells, water was then pumped
down to dilute the salt, then pumped back up and stored in tanks. It
was heated and the water allowed to evaporate leaving the salt
behind. This process was developed in Marine City. One of these salt
plants is still in operation in St. Clair.
 In
conclusion it was a great visit to the Marine City Museum, great to
meet John and the other museum volunteers. Sometimes you never know
what you might come across , a little treasure in your backyard, a
little piece of history. So tack the time to visit these small
museums in these small towns along the way, you simply don't know
what you might find!!
Jeff Chruill
The Museum web site.
www.marinecitymich.org |
