Saugatuck Steamers

The first steamer to run out of Saugatuck was the Geo. L. Dunlap before 1860. Following this boat was the Philo Parsons, Sarah VanEpp, and the Montezuma. All of these boats were side wheelers and were unsuited for the business as most of the freight carried was lumber and other forest products.

In 1866 Ira Chaffee, F. N. May, Geo. N. Dutcher and Capt. E. B. Costain had A. McMillan built he steamer Ira Chaffee at Allegan. This boat was 124 feet long, 24 feet beam and had a full upper cabin. She was on the route until the summer of 1874 when he was sold and changed to a lumber carrier.

The next steamer was the G. P. Heath, Capt. R. C. Brittain, which ran until 1881. In 1876 the R. C. Brittain was built by Capt. Brittain and run until 1889. In 1884 the J. S. Seaverns was built by Capt. Brittain and ran until 18S4. In 1882 R. M. Moore, P. Purdy and Chas. McVea had the steamer Douglas built and it ran until 1889. In 1884 Rogers & Bird built the steamer A. B. Taylor and it ran until 18. In, 1888 R.C. Brittain, R. M. Moors, P. Purdy and Chas. McVea built the Chas. McVea and it ran until 1904. In 1888 Griffin & Henry built the steamer Saugatuck and it was sold the same year. They immediately built the steamer Kalamazoo and it run until 1892, when it was sunk in collision with the steamer Pilgrim. The same year they bought steamer Saugatuck back and it run until 1904. In 1888^-Rogers & Bird built the steamer Pilgrim which run until 1892. In 1892 R. Blink bought the steamer I. M. Weston which was on the run until 1896. In 1894 Rogers & Bird built the steamer Bon Ami which run until 1899. In 1906 the Dunkley-Williams Co. of South Haven ran the steamers Glenn and City of Kalamazoo that year. In 1909 Andrew Crawford ran the steamer H. W. Williams until 1912 and the Arundell till 1911. In 1914 W. K. Greenabaum ran the steamer United States that year, and in 1915 the United States and Rochester until the Eastland disaster when both steamers were taken off and the steamer Petoskey finished the season. In 1922 the Graham & Morton Line ran the steamers City of St. Joe, City of Saugatuck and City of Holland, 1929 being the last year they ran. Other boats that ran to Chicago for a few weeks during the fruit season were the Huron, George Dunbar, Frankfort, R. J. Gordon, Mary Mills, Myrtle Ross; Maud Preston, Nellie Music and Cyclone.

The Ira Chafee ran as lumber carrier until 1896 when it burned at the Soo. The R. C. Brittain was broken up at Sarnia, Ont., in 1922 after 46 years of service, The J, S. Seaverns was sold to Canadian owners and foundered in Lake Superior on it's first trip, April 30, 1884. The Douglas was sunk in a collision in Detroit River in 1925. The A. B. Taylor was renamed the Ottawa and burned on Lake Ontario in 1910. The Pilgrim was wrecked on Lake Huron near Sanilac in 1907. The Kalamazoo was sunk in a collision with the steamer Pilgrim in 1892. The Saugatuck was burned on Lake Michigan in 1881. The Bon Ami was renamed the North Shore and with the steamer McVea is running on the Lake front in Chicago. The Arundell burned in 1911, the City of Kalamazoo in 1912, the H. W. Williams in 1925 and the United States in 1926, and the Glenn and Rochester were sold to the coast during the war. The I. M. Weston was broken up at Chicago.