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Step back to the 1840s and learn how shipbuilding and shipping were
some of the first industries in the newly-formed state of Wisconsin.
Next to a replica cross-section of the schooner Clipper City,
explore the streets of old Manitowoc where shipbuilders, sailors and
traders walked more than 150 years ago. Imagine buying a ticket at
Goodrich Transportation Co. and traveling on the whaleback steamer
Christopher Columbus. Learn how Wisconsin shipyards contributed
to our nation’s growth during the 20th century and its defense
during World War II by building ships and submarines in Manitowoc
and northeastern Wisconsin.
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Scale models, half-hull models and quarterboards tell of Great Lakes
sailing ships and freighters, past and present, in the Model Ship
Gallery. Learn about Lake Michigan carferries such as City of Midland
and City of Saginaw 31. These unique ships transported passengers
and railroad cars between Michigan and Wisconsin ports year ’round,
through storms and heavy ice.
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Step into the engine room of a Great Lakes ship in the early 1900s and see a 65-ton steam engine come to life under your
control. Built in 1911, this powerful triple-expansion steam engine was used by the ice-breaking carferry Chief Wawatam to transport passengers, vehicles and rail
cars across the Straits of Mackinac.
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Renowned throughout the Great Lakes and the world, Wisconsin boat builders have a tradition of craftsmanship that goes back 150 years.
Walk through the Wisconsin-Built Boat Gallery, presented by the Manitowoc Company, for a close-up view of actual boats that helped build that tradition.
The 44-foot luxury yacht Lady Isabel, built in 1907 by Burger Boat, and 33-foot Palmer-Johnson sailboat Skybird, built in 1947, highlight the collection that also
features many examples of Wisconsin-built boats, outboard motors and hunting craft used for pleasure and sport throughout the Great Lakes region.
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Come play with the fish in the unique underwater setting of the Little
Lakefarer’s Room, presented by Aurora Healthcare. This hands-on
environment is a special place for young children and their parents
to relax, explore a “shipwreck,” look through a periscope,
play maritime games, and read about life on and near the water.
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It’s a learning experience unlike any other! The Children’s
Waterways Room, presented by Burger Boat Company, allows children
of all ages to launch their boat onto a miniature Lake Superior,
sail it to the locks at Sault Ste. Marie and continue on to Lake
Michigan and Green Bay. Navigate the waterfalls of the Wisconsin
River from its headwaters in northern Wisconsin downriver to where
it meets the Mississippi – come play and learn in the Children’s
Waterways Room!
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Harvesting the Inland Seas—Commercial Fishing on the Great Lakes
traces lake fishing from the 1830s to the present, focusing on Wisconsin
and illustrating how this once thriving industry contributed to the
economy and flavor of the area.
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