Michigan Maritime Museum

Losing one’s life while tending to a Great Lakes lighthouse—or any navigational beacon anywhere in the world for that matter—sadly wasn’t such an unusual occurrence. Death by murder, drowning, suicide, or other unnatural and tragic causes, while rare, was not unheard of. In fact, more than a dozen lighthouse keepers around the Great Lakes met…

Mnomen, or wild rice, is a culturally and historically significant crop for the Native peoples of the Great Lakes. Join us as Cecil Wilson, historian for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, explores the historical and contemporary connections between mnomen and the Pokagon people. A hands-on display will accompany the talk and recreate a traditional wild…

Join us for an entertaining, informative presentation by author and journalist Mike Fornes about two iconic ships that became known as the “Queen of the Great Lakes”. Since 1944, the Mackinaw has been on guard through gale-force winds, crushing ice flows and blinding snowstorms. The original ship broke ice with brute force, and the new…

Discover how Michigan’s rivers, lakes, and shorelines turned into front-line battlegrounds during the era of the 18th Amendment. The Detroit River, St. Clair River, and Lake Michigan were major smuggling corridors, moving liquor from Canada into cities and small towns alike. From rum-running boats and winter ice routes to organized crime, law enforcement, and everyday…