The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes

by Walter Havighurst

A popular history of navigation on the Great Lakes and life on their shores, The Long Ships Passing brings us aboard the crafts that have plowed the waves of the treacherous "five sisters" carrying the grain, lumber, and minerals that fed and built the cities of America. Walter Havighurst paints vivid pictures of life-and death-on the lakes, mysterious accounts of wooden ships and iron men that sank to freshwater graves, especially along the immigrant route where the wrecks lie thick. In rich and marvelous detail, this classic history recounts the saga of an inland marine empire. A longtime professor of English at Miami University, Walter Havighurst (1901-1994) grew up in Wisconsin and was a prolific and passionate writer of regional history and fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[John P · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are lots of interesting tidbits in this work. Lots of dates, names, ships, lists of cargo, tonnage, ports, and more. After a while, it's too much. I appreciate the research and the recording of the facts but for a 'story', as the subtitle suggests, it's lacking something. There is too much jumping around in time, for example. It's difficult to tell sometimes to what year, decade, or even century each factoid refers. It's not so much that the dates are missing, it's more that each chapter, up to and including the last chapters, relates incidents and facts from many different times; there is not a chronological thread which carries this reader through from early history to 'modern' (this revised edition was published in 1975) times. It may be said that the chapters are not meant to be chronological but topical, each recording history from the angle of a particular viewpoint. Even so, assuming this, it doesn't make the volume more readable.
Secondly, there is quite a bit of repetition throughout. No doubt this is partly because of the non-linear style, but I have to assume that poor editing contributes as well.
Last, it is interesting and at the same time troubling to read the stereotypical characterizations of the native Indians.
I can say that some of the information in 'The Long Ships Passing' has inspired me to do additional research on a handful of interesting topics, and so in this regard, was worth the read.

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book primarily tells the history of shipping on the Great Lakes from the 1600s through the 1970s. The book was first written in 1948 and then updated in 1975. Each chapter begins with pictures of Great Lakes ships or landmarks and they are an enjoyable part of the book. Havighurst is a good story teller and he tells the stories of various Great Lakes towns, ships, and key personalities in a very interesting way, bringing all these diverse stories together that allows you to get a picture of the whole area. I felt like the Canadian side was somewhat shortchanged in this book but I really enjoyed finding out the histories of the different towns I had been through over the years.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining history of the Great Lakes shipping industry, with plenty of stories and personalities. The drawings starting every chapter were well-done also.

[Clarence Cromwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been watching Great Lakes Warriors on The History Channel and it brings to mind a couple of my favorite books about Great Lakes Shipping. I was on this kick about the history of Great Lakes shipping for a while.
http://www.history.com/shows/great-la...