> Some nice older photos here of car ferry
> Chief Wawatam, now said to be cut down to a
> barge, after an attempt at preservation
> failed.

This is one of the saddest stories going in marine/rail preservation. Sadly, our State of Michigan didn't think this was worthy of preservation as a single piece, but yet deemed things seperate from their context as o.k., such as her wheeel, chadburns, etc.

Sadly, our state is far behind others in this regard; why it didn't consider the unique heritage of linking our peninsulas with carferries worthy of preservation, something that made Michigan different from any other, is beyond me. There were MANY opportunities to preserve this, and they all fell through, in part becuase the communties served (St. Ignace and Mackinac City) were only interested in "getting rid of the old thing." The almighty cutesy tourist dollar tore out the railyard to put up the worst looking "victorian" mall you've ever seen, put the depot in a disgusting scheme that pays little or no attention to reality or historical context, and yet the apron is literarily falling into the water as we speak.

The Soo Line's abandonment of their line between Trout Lake and St. Ignace pretty much did it in as well. Couple this with the state's removal of its subsidy for Michigan Northern, which died soon afterward, and the abandonment of all track into this area, and you are left with the closest rail operation to Mackinac nearly 40 miles away.

As for what survives: most is in storage in Lansing in the state history museum, and does occassionly come out on display. Her port side triple exapnsion engine is in one of the neatest and most ingenous exhibits I have ever seen at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, including the visitors ability to "operate" the engine via a digital chadburn. Her starboard engine still sits at Purvis Marine, who owns the hull/ barge, which is of the same name. Sadly, Purvis is also the group who is scrapping the Lewis G. Harriman, which I posted here in the past, and is set to go to the torch soon --- she's already been stripped in preparation.

One of my fondest memories is a trip I took aboard this when I was a kid; my first experience with a REAL engine room, steam and all. The fact that my son and daughter will never get this same chance ranks right up there with the same sckness I feel for them never seeing a game at Tiger Stadium.

I realize this probably isn't fair, but I believe some in MC in particular will burn in the eternal infernos of hades for going the route of the cutesy almighty dollar, instead of creating what could have been one of the most amazing and utterly different attractions in the country.

#sigh#

TJG

Chief Wawatam Engine at WMM

peremarquette@hotmail.com