From the arrival of the first steamship to Lake Michigan in 1821 through the turbulent booms and busts of more than 130 years, passenger steamers of this bygone era provided an essential link for immigrants, excursionists, businesspeople and leisure travelers. On offer were dining, dancing, day trips and luxurious shipboard settings, but mishaps like storms, fires and shipwrecks were a persistent danger to passengers and crew alike. Through fascinating tales and splendid images, Lost Passenger Steamships of Lake Michigan presents the romantic and sometimes dangerous story of a vanished industry that once connected communities all long Lake Michigan's shores.

This is the definitive account of the rise, fall, and extinction of steam passenger transportation on Lake Michigan from its origin in the late 1840s to the demise of the last steamers in 1970.

Through much of the nineteenth century, steam-powered ships provided one of the most reliable and comfortable transportation options in the United States, becoming a critical partner in railroad expansion and the heart of a thriving recreation industry. The aesthetic, structural, and commercial peak of the steamboat era occurred on the Great Lakes, where palatial ships created memories and livelihoods for millions while carrying passengers between the region’s major industrial ports of Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Toronto. By the mid-twentieth century, the industry was in steep decline, and today North America’s rich and entertaining steamboat heritage has been largely forgotten. In Floating Palaces of the Great Lakes, Joel Stone revisits this important era of maritime history, packed with elegance and adventure, politics and wealth, triumph and tragedy. This story of Great Lakes travelers and the beautiful floating palaces they engendered will engage historians and history buffs alike, as well as genealogists, regionalists, and researchers.

Includes section "Book Reviews".

Lists news events, population figures, and miscellaneous data of an historic, economic, scientific and social nature.