Lunch & Learn: Sailors, Keepers, Racers, and More: Women on the Great Lakes

Proudly sponsored by the Nielsen-Wells Grand Fund and Mike & Susan Smith

The Great Lakes have a long and fascinating history of women involved in maritime life at every level, from cooks to captains. Join Chicago Maritime Museum curator Madeline Crispell as she explores the evolving roles women have played on the Great Lakes over centuries. Learn about trailblazers who worked as lighthouse keepers or led female racing teams, but also about everyday women who helped keep life on the Great Lakes afloat.

Madeline Crispell is the curator of the Chicago Maritime Museum. Her exhibitions, walking tours, and public programs across Chicagoland have focused on a range of subjects, from American travel history to the Thorne Miniature Rooms to Chicago’s alleyways.

This lecture is part of our year-long series Whispers Across the Water celebrating the diverse and often underrepresented voices that have contributed to Great Lakes maritime heritage.