Table of Contents

Title Page
1 Introductory
2 Geological
3 Poetry of the Lakes
4 Description
5 The Aborigines
6 French Discovery and occupation
7 Story of La Salle and the Griffin
8 Struggle for Possession
9 Under English Rule
10 Beginnings of Lake Commerce
11 War of 1812
12 War of 1812, Continued
13 War of 1812, Concluded
14 Growth of Traffic
Commerce Through St. Mary's Canals
15 Early Navigation on Lake Superior
16 The Convention of 1847
17 A Half Century Ago
18 Lake Canals
19 Lake Canals, Concluded
20 Harbors
21 Lighthouses
22 Life Saving Service
23 Development of Lake Vessels
24 The Lake Carriers
25 The Sailor
26 Navigation
27 Lumber Traffic
28 Grain Traffic
29 Coal Traffic
30 Iron Ore and Iron Industries
31 Miscellaneous
33 CHRONOLOGY.The Beginnings
33 After the War of 1812
34 1821-1830
35 1831-1840
36 1841-1850
37 1851-1860
38 1861-1870
39 1871-1880
40 1881-1890
41 1891-1898
42 List of Lake Vessels
Table of Illustrations

Commerce Through St. Mary's Canals. -- The commerce to and from Lake Superior has been tabulated with an accuracy, equal to that of the vessel reports, in the statement published herewith of the traffic through the Sault canals. It is a comprehensive table, showing in detail the growth of the more important articles of commerce since that traffic began, and also the passages and character of craft. It is the best and most satisfactory epitome of the commerce of the Great Lakes that can be compiled.

STATEMENT OF THE COMMERCE THROUGH SAINT MARYS FALLS CANAL FOR EACH CALENDAR YEAR FROM ITS OPENING, JUNE 18, 1855.

Year Sailing
vessels		 Steamers Unregistered
craft		 Total
passages		 Registered Actual
freight		 Passengers Coal Flour Wheat Grain,
other than
wheat		 Manufactured and
pig iron		 Salt Copper Iron
ore		 Lumber
B. M.		 Silver ore
and bullion		 Building
stone		 Unclassified
freight
1855 (a) (a) (b) (a) 106,296 (c) 4,270 1,414 10,289 (d) ....... 1,040 587 3,196 1,447 126,000 (d) (d) (e)
1856 (a) (a) (b) (a) 101,458 (c) 4,674 3,968 17,686 (d) 33,908 78l 464 5,727 11,597 395,000 (d) (d) (e)
1857 (a) (a) (b) (a) 180,820 (c) 6,650 5,278 16,560 (d) 22,300 1,325 1,500 5,760 26,184 572,000 (d) (d) (e)
1858 (a) (a) (b) (a) 219,819 (c) 9,230 4,118 13,782 (d) 10,500 2,597 950 6,744 31,035 185,000 (d) (d) (e)
1859 (a) (a) (b) (a) 352,642 (c) .... 8,884 39,459 (d) 71,738 5,504 2,737 7,247 65,769 .... (d) (d) (e)
1860 (a) (a) (b) (a) 403,657 (c) .... ..... 50,2501 (d) 133,437 ...... ..... 9,OOO 120,000 ..... (d) (d) (e)
1861 (a) (a) (b) (a) 276,639 (c) 8,816 11,507 22,743 (d) 76,830 4,194 3,014 7,645 44,836 394,000 (d) (d) (e)
1862 (a) (a) (b) (a) 359,612 (c) 8,468 11,346 17,291 (d) 59,062 6,438 2,477 6,8ll 113,014 196,000 (d) (d) (e)
1863 (a) (a) (b) (a) 507,434 (c) 18,281 7,805 31,975 (d) 78,480 6,681 1,506 1,044 181,567 l,l411,000 (d) (d) (e)
1864 1,045 366 (b) 1,411 571,438 (c) 16,985 11,282 33,937 (d) 143,560 7,643 1,776 5,331 213,753 2,001,000 (d) (d) (e)
1865 602 395 (b) 997 409,062 (c) 19,777 .... 34,985 (d) .... 7,346 3,175 9,935 147,459 822,000 (d) (d) (e)
1866 555 453 (b) 1,008 458,530 (c) 14,067 19,915 33,603 (d) 229,926 13,235 4,454 9,550 152,102 144,000 (d) (d) (e)
1867 839 466 (b) 1,305 556,899 (c) 15,120 22,927 28,345 (d) 249,031 20,602 5,316 10,585 222,86l 390,000 (d) (d) (e)
1868 817 338 (b) 1,155 432,563 (c) 10,590 25,814 27,372 (d) 285,123 22,785 4,624 12,222 191,939 l,l19,000 (d) (d) (e)
1869 939 399 (b) 1,338 524,885 (c) 17.657 27,850 32,007 (d) 323,501 23,851 5,910 18,662 239,368 1,260,000 (d) (d) (e)
1870 1,397 431 (b) 1,828 690,826 (c) 17,153 15,952 33,548 49,700 304,077 42,959 11,089 11,301 409,850 722,000 92 2,917 (e)
1871 1,064 573 (b) 1,637 752,101 (c) 15,859 46,798 26,060 1,376,705 308,823 51,984 36,199 14,562 327,46l 1,072,000 464 5,228 (e)
1872 1,212 792 (b) 2,004 914,735 (c) 25,830 80,815 136,411 567,134 445,774 86,194 42,690 14,591 383,105 1,742,000 306 5,213 (e)
1873 1,519 968 (b) 2,517 1,204,446 (c) 30,966 96,780 172,692 2,119,997 309,645 44,920 29,335 15,927 504,12l 1,162,OOO 580 2,218 (e)
1874 833 901 (b) 1,734 1,070,857 (c) 22,958 61,123 179,855 1,120,015 149,999 31,741 42,23l 15,346 427,658 638,OOO 443 40l (e)
1875 569 1,464 (b) 2,033 1,259,534 (c) 19,685 101,260 309,991 1,213,788 250,080 54,381 43,989 18,396 493,408 5,391,OOO 847 2,978 (e)
1876 684 1,733 (b) 2,417 1,541,676 (c) 30,286 124,734 315,224 1,971,549 407,772 64,091 46,666 25,756 609,752 17,761,000 985 2,l02 (e)
1877 1,401 1,050 (b) 2,451 1,439,216 (c) 21,800 91,575 355,117 1,349,738 343,542 39,971 63,188 16,767 568,082 4,143,OOO 987 2,506 (e)
1878 1,091 1,476 (b) 2,567 1,667,136 (c) 20,394 91,856 344,599 1,872,940 264.674 14,882 63,520 22,529 555,750 24,119,000 650 2,754 (e)
1879 1,403 1,618 100 3,121 1,677,071 (c) 18,979 110,704 451,000 2,603,666 951,496 39,218 92,245 22,309 540,075 35,598,0OO 324 2,226 (e)
1880 1,718 1,735 50 3,503 1,734,890 (c) 25,766 170,501 523,860 2,105,920 2,547,106 46,791 77,916 21,753 677,073 44,539,000 66 2,283 (e)
1881 1,706 2,117 181 4,004 2,092,757 1,567,741 24,678 295,647 605,453 3,456,965 367,838 87,830 65,897 29,488 748,l3l 58,877,000 .... 1,400 129,031
1882 1,663 2,739 372 4,774 2,468,088 2,029,521 29,256 430,184 344,044 3,728,856 473,129 92,870 176,612 25,409 987,060 82,783,000 22 5,428 172,167
1883 1,458 2,620 237 4,315 2,042,259 2,267,105 39,130 714,444 687,031 5,900,473 776,552 109,910 70,898 31,024 791,732 87,131,OOO 814 2,405 191,571
1884 1,709 3,609 371 5,689 2,997,837 2,874,557 54,214 706,379 1,248,243 11,985,791 517,103 72,428 144,804 36,062 l,136,07l 122,389,000 9,74l 6,047 207,l73
1885 1,689 3,354 337 5,380 3,035,937 3,256,628 36,147 894,991 1,440,093 15,274,213 422,981 60,842 136,355 31,927 1,235,122 127,984,000 3,669 8,l89 184,963
1886 2,534 4,584 306 7,424 4,219,397 4,527,759 27,088 1,009,999 1,759,365 18,991,488 715,373 115,208 158,677 38,627 2,087,809 138,688,000 2,009 9,449 230,726
1887 2,568 5,968 825 9,355 4,897,598 5,494,649 32,668 1,352,987 1,572,735 23,096,520 775,166 74,919 204,908 31,886 2,497,713 165,226,000 350 13,40l 344,586
1888 2,009 5,305 489 7,803 5,130,659 6,411,423 25,558 2,105,041 2,190,725 18,596,351 2,022,308 63,703 210.433 28,960 2,570,5l7 240,372,000 3,385 33,541 345,854
1889 2,635 6,501 443 9,579 7,221,935 7,516,022 25,712 1,629,197 2,228,707 16,231,854 2,133,245 57,561 168,250 33,456 4,095,855 315,554,000 5,947 33,538 312,410
1890 2,872 7,268 4l7 10,557 8,454,435 9,041,213 24,856 2,176,925 3,239,104 16,217,370 2,044,384 116,327 179,43l 43,729 4,774,768 361,929,000 3,432 47,973 37l,294
1891 2,405 7,339 447 10,191 8,400,685 8,888,759 26,166 2,507,532 3,780,143 38,816,670 1,032,104 69,831 234,528 69,190 3,560,213 366,305,0OO 1,731 44,080 333,019
1892 3,324 8,737 519 12,580 10,647,203 11,214,333 25,896 2,904,266 5,418,135 40,994,780 1,666,690 101,520 275,740 64,993 4,901,132 512,844,OO0 1,930 39,698 459,l46
1893 2,955 8,379 674 12,008 8,949,754 10,796,572 18,869 3,008,120 7,420,674 43,481,652 2,405,344 89,452 228,730 87,530 4,014,556 588,545,000 2,470 19,426 4l5,l8O
1894 3,676 10,208 607 14,491 13,110,366 13,195,850 27,236 2,797,184 8,965,773 34,869,483 1,545,008 60,659 237,461 99,573 6,548,876 722,788,000 412 21,417 451,l85
1895 4,790 12,495 671 17,956 16,806,781 15,062,580 31,656 2,574,362 8,902,302 46,218,250 8,328,694 100,337 269,919 107,452 8,062,209 740,700,000 100 23,876 463,308
1896 ...... ....... ...... 18,615 17,249,418 16,239,121 37,066 3,023,340 8,882,858 63,256,463 27,448,071 121,892 237,515 116,872 7,909,250 684,986,000 240 l7,731 520,851
1897 ...... ...... ..... 17,171 17,619,933 18,218,411 40,213 3,029,172 8,921,143 55,924,306 20,989,688 135,164 285,449 122,324 10,633,715 805,612,000 5 6,249 579,003
1898 4,449 12,461 851 17,761 18,622,754 21,234,664 43,426 3,776,450 7,778,043 62,339,996 26,078,384 250,170 301,560 124,226 11,706,980 895,485,000 ..... 4,670 623,146
(a) No record kept until 1864.
(b) No record kept until 1879.
(c) No record kept until June, 1881.
(d) None shipped from Lake Superior until 1870.
(e) No record kept until 1881.
* The statement includes the traffic of the Canadian canal since its opening in 1895.

 

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Volume II

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.