Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships

by Frederick H. Neuschel

Overview

Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships brings the maritime heritage of the Great Lakes to life, using the tragic story of the schooner Rouse Simmons as a porthole into the robust but often forgotten communities that thrived along Lake Michigan from the Civil War to World War I.

Memorialized in songs, poems, fiction, and even a musical, the infamous ship that went down in a Thanksgiving storm while delivering Christmas trees to Chicago has long been shrouded in myth and legend. As a result, the larger story of the captain, crew, and affected communities has often been overlooked. Fred Neuschel delves into this everyday life of camaraderie, drudgery, ambition, and adventure—with tales of the Midwest’s burgeoning immigrant groups and rapid industrialization—to create a true story that is even more fascinating than the celebrated legends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472033669
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	02/18/2009
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Fred Neuschel was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and lives with his wife in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School and has worked for thirty years in mental health chaplaincy and counseling. His previous historical work has been published in Inland Seas, Voyageur, Chicago History, and Wisconsin Magazine of History.

Table of Contents

1 The Disappearance of the Schooner Rouse Simmons 1

2 Lake Michigan Short-Haul Sailors 18

3 The Sailors' School of Hard Knocks 34

4 Ahnapee, Wisconsin-a Maritime Community 49

5 The Clique Takes Control 65

6 Sailors in the Battle for the Harbor 79

7 Ahnapee's Golden Decade 92

8 Captain McDonald, Fortune Seeker 107

9 Captain Armstrong: Working for "the Man" 119

10 The End of the Maritime Community 133

11 The Last of the Short-Haul Sailors 144

12 The Schuenemann Brothers 155

13 Herman Schuenemann Becomes Captain Santa 171

14 Lies, Mistakes, and Hoax 185

15 Unseaworthy 201

16 A Story to Pass On 213

Vessels That Engaged in the Christmas Tree Trade on Lake Michigan, 1876-1920 220

Captains Who Engaged in the Christmas Tree Trade on Lake Michigan 227

Newspaper Reports of Vessels Used by or on Behalf of August or Herman Schuenemann 229

Notes 235

Sources 261

Acknowledgments 269

Index 271