Women and the Lakes: Untold Great Lakes Maritime Tales

by Frederick Stonehouse

Fred Stonehouse brings stories of women who worked the lakes to life in this book. Although women were generally not employed in the maritime trade, this book focuses on the notable and inspirational exceptions.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history, many of them focusing on the Great Lakes and contributed to several others. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales are regional best sellers. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes, won a national publishing award and is the predominant work on the subject. Another book, Haunted Lakes, Great Lakes Maritime Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents, has opened an entirely new genre in Great Lakes study. His book, Final Voyage, is the first Great Lakes shipwreck book for children.

He has been a consultant for both the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada and has been an "on-air" expert for National Geographic, History Channel and Fox Family, as well as many regional media productions. Awards for contributions to Great Lakes maritime history have been received from Underwater Canada, Our World Underwater, Marquette Maritime Museum and Marquette County Historical Society. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Association For Great Lakes Maritime History Award for Historic Interpretation. The Award is presented annually in recognition of an individual making a major contribution over many years to the interpretation of Great Lakes maritime history in furtherance of the goals of the Association. In addition he was named the Marine Historical Society of Detroit’s “2007 Historian of the Year.” The award is the result of election by past MHSD Historians and recognizes persons who have actively contributed to the study of Great Lakes history. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History from Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan.

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the lakes and local history, so this book really intrigued me.
However, I found it to be a little dry, it was easy for my mind to wander while reading and made some stories hard to understand. There were many stories in here, some long, some short and switching lengths was jarring to my wandering thoughts because sometimes there wasn't a clear separation of stories.
The stories I did understand and kept my full attention were really interesting! I marked some good ones and next time I come back to this I will likely browse through it rather than read it cover to cover.
The pictures were nice, there were many newspaper articles and things directly quoted, overall, a well put together, meaningful book, despite some flaws.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I applaud Stonehouse for raising the women highlighted in this book -- it's no wonder I'm such a Stonehouse groupie! He has chosen those that were otherwise unknown even after surviving wrecks, rescuing those in peril and serving on lights with fortitude and passion. My favorite story was that of Adeline Keeling of the steamer, Cox, which ran hard up on the Rock of Ages Reef near Isle Royale. Nurse Keeling worked continuously for nearly 24 hours supervising the care of the injured even though she herself was hurt. I can only imagine how comforted the frightened passengers felt knowing that she was taking caring for them. As Stonehouse noted "There simply weren't enough of them to move the marker in comparison with males."

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stonehouse has a really weird writing style! It was hard to get into the way he tells history. It's like he's trying too hard to write about ladies! OMG THEY'RE LADIES AND THEY DO STUFF.

They're just peeps, Stonehouse. They're just peeps.

I wonder if he writes about men the same way.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books such as this one are hard to rate and review. It is not well written and sort of a mishmash organizationally, but I believe that the information is worth preserving and worth publishing. I was surprised that the author has academic credentials and still published something so unprofessional. He seems to have collected many pictures about the Great Lakes – I hope these are gifted to an institution that can care for them and make them available. I like to read books about life on lighthouse islands and this book provided some brief, interesting stories.

[Pegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this book. It's got a lot of good stories in it, but the author admits that details may or may not be true. I also found a number of errors in the book, wrong names and wrong dates. Not enough to totally spoil it, but certainly a distraction. It's still worth reading if you're interested in women and their historical roles along the Great Lakes.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories that were told in this book are fascinating pieces of history. But this book was so poorly written and edited that I almost gave up on it. I kept going by reminding myself that these strong, awesome women put up with a lot more pain and hardship than poor editing choices were causing me, and they deserve to be remembered.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories of women in various roles in the sail and steam years on the Great Lakes. Mr Stonehouse could use a good proofreader and editor and the lack of those occasionally took away from the tales. Overall, a quick, historical read and a good impulse selection from a bookstore at the Soo Locks!

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a quick easy read. The stories were interesting but I wanted more information. The book reads like a quick survey of every woman who worked on the lakes. If that was the author’s intent he did a good job. If it wasn’t I wish he would have chosen fewer stories and given them more life. This book will go in my glad I’ve read it but won’t read it again pile.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories about women who served in a variety of maritime capacities on the Great Lakes. Some stories are several pages, others only a paragraph or two; some are sad, many are surprising, and all are intriguing.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written, disorganized, and condescending.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about local Great Lakes history.

[Carol McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could have used a second look by the editor and the proof reader. Other than that a very informative and enjoyable book.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories about women captains and lighthouse keepers along the Great Lakes.

[Angela Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

F.S. brings us many often overlooked stories about the roles women played in maritime history; supporting, healing, working, saving lives. Not the same old stories. Always something "new."

[Rebes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just really enjoyed this book--I found it an interesting glimpse into local Great Lakes history that you never hear about!

[Natalya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories thankfully it was written by a guy so it wasn't as feminist as I expected it too be

[Miki Lemoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting topic. So many women who did so much. Amazing heroic acts plus everyday hard work and competence. Enjoyed reading about this wonderful women.

[Jeanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book club selection