This book tells the tale of some of each heroes who risked all to save the lives of others, and those who lust for money justified their lack of morals. There are the courageous men and women of the United States and Canadian Life-Saving Service, and Coast Guard who have heroically risked their lives when the lives of others were in peril. In contrast to the heroics some people have displayed, the Great Lakes have seen some very evil people as well. There pirates who took ships and cargo by force, or lured unsuspecting ships to run up on rocky shoals to be destroyed by the pounding surf, lumber thieves who clear cut vast tracks of forests which they did not own and gangsters who controlled prostitution, illegal liquor trade, murder for hire, sale of drugs, and anything else illegal and who would kill to protect their profits.
Author: Wayne Louis Kadar
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 208
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Great Lakes Heroes and Villains by Wayne Louis Kadar is a new release just published.
Taking lighthouse jaunts is a popular vacation for those who live around the Great Lakes. Depending on the area, you could visit a half dozen or more in a one-week trip or take a long weekend to visit two or three while taking in other sites. The determined traveler could see even more. Wes Oleszewski’s book Great Lakes Lighthouses – American & Canadian is the perfect companion to guide travelers on their way.
Author: Wes Oleszewski
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 202
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What readers say:
The author gives the status of the lights being either active, inactive, whether it is in ruins or on private property. He also states if there is a museum onsite. Keep in mind that this book was published in 1998 and not all information may be up-to-date. However, in the last five years my husband and I have used it as a guide, all of the information has been correct. We did confirm it though by doing an internet search for phone numbers of the places we wanted to visit if available, especially if there was a museum at the site.
Interspersed throughout Great Lakes Lighthouses are chapters on the history of the lakes themselves, lighthouse facts as well as shipwreck tales all told by an author who obviously has a love for the area. The book is of convenient trade paperback size and is easy to carry with you on your vacation. I highly recommend it as a guide for new and experienced lighthouse travelers alike.
This book explores the tragic tales of ships designed to carry passengers, be it a ferry, a day or weekend excursion vessel or a ship with cabins. The shipwrecks recovered here describe the terror and devastation of 15 Great Lake passenger ships disasters. The 1915 capsizing of the Eastland, the wreck which holds the distinction of being the largest loss of life on the lakes. The collision of the City of Cleveland and the foreign freighter, Ravnefleel on Lake Huron in 1950. The tragic loss of hundreds on Lake Erie when the G.P. Griffith was destroyed and the burning of classic passenger ships which was the end of large scale passenger travel on the Great Lakes.
Author: Wayne Louis Kadar
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 201
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What readers say:
I got this book in the U.P. three years ago on a trip with a friend of mine. I always enjoyed the Great Lakes, and decided ‘What the heck, I’ll get a souvineer.’ I grabbed this book and read almost all of it in a few hours. The stories and the detail they are put in take you right back to when these amazing ships were making their fatefull runs on the dangerous lakes. My personal favorite is the tale of the Pere Marquette No. 18, because while reading this book, I realized that I am related to the Joe Brezinski who was first mate and died aboard the ship. I especially enjoyed the pictures and the maps to show where the wrecks are located. This book is truly amazing and I will continue reading it time and time again.
The Great Lakes have proven every bit as dangerous as the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. The storms that roar across the Lakes are fearsome beasts that have sealed the fate of many a vessel plying the “Inland Seas.” This absorbing 2006 title brings together 24 accounts of fateful voyages made by freighters, tankers and tugboats.
The voyages related in this book span almost a hundred years from 1898 to 1990. They run the gamut from explosions to groundings to on-board fires to collisions to founderings. In many cases human error was responsible but more often it was mother nature taking its pound of flesh.
The book’s most fascinating – and macabre – story tells of the December 1942 trip wherein the tug ‘Admiral’ was towing the tanker barge ‘Cleveco’ from Toledo to Cleveland. Caught in a quick-developing, blinding storm, the two vessels plodded on in near-zero visibility. At 3:30 AM on December 2, the crew on the barge were unable to spot the tug. The tow cable was still taut but, upon checking, the ‘Cleveco’ crew were horrified to see that it went straight down into the lake! The barge was still attached to the tug which had sunk with all hands! And now for the rest of the story…Rescue vessels arrived on the scene but were unable to take the ‘Cleveco’ crew off due to the storm. When the storm abated hours later, the ‘Cleveco’ had vanished, joining the ‘Admiral’ at the bottom of Lake Erie. No survivors.
Author: Wayne Louis Kadar
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 217
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What readers say:
All the accounts in Kadar’s are well done and often spellbinding. The text is nicely illustrated with vintage photographs, maps and diagrams. It’s especially interesting to see ‘before’ and ‘after’ of some of the ships involved in these disasters and realize how powerful a Great Lakes storm can be and how brave the men are who sail the Great Lakes.
It may not have been the Spanish Main, but pirates did sail the Great Lakes as did all manner of thieves and bloodthirsty murders. The great Sweetwater Seas had their fair share of criminal activity. Captains sank their ships to obtain the insurance money and honest lightkeepers were “done in” for their meager savings. Throughout Prohibition the Great Lakes were the back door to America’s thirst for alcohol. Hundreds of boats hauled millions of gallons of illegal booze over the Lakes to wet the dry throats of honest citizens. Lakeshore dance halls, roadhouses and speakeasies, provided the perfect place for folks to toast “wine, women and song.” Bullets often flew as bootleggers and government agents fought it out on the Inland Seas. On shore and sometimes afloat, female companionship was always available, for a price. Relive the tales of murder, rum running and shady ladies in this great book.
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 224
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This is volume two of the original book published in 2004.
Frederick Stonehouse chronicles the bloody history of the Great Lakes crime and criminals, from the bootleggers to the pirates and thieves. Thrill to stories of murder, rum running, prostitution and more. Stories of murderers and violent death, mutiny and run running, piracy and more. Relive the tales of murder, rum running and shady ladies in this great book. This is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the dark side of Great Lakes history.
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 193
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What readers say:
I picked up this book at a store around the Straits (of Mackinac), hoping to find material on mutiny and maybe some bootlegging. I was surprised to find out that the Great Lakes at one time had a culture similar to the Old West! Only rowdier! The subtitle, “Murder, Mayhem, Booze and Broads” surely lives up to its name in this book! The book is broken down by sections, not by chronology; so the book tends to jump from time period to time period. The author blatantly interjects his own personal political/social commentaries on the subject at hand, which I found a little tiresome at times. There are also headings of cities (Fairport, Kingston, Ashland, etc.) with no State with them; so unless the reader is very familiar with cities along the Great Lakes, he might be lost in picturing exactly where these events took place. It would’ve also helped the author to hire an editor, as there are a significant number of misspelled/misplaced grammatical errors. Fortunatley, there is an abundance of photos, drawings, and vintage ads to paint a vivid picture as to what life was like around the Great Lakes from the late 18th century to the present.
This book was the most enjoyable history lesson I ever had. All that crime on the Great Lakes of Michigan- amazing! The lighthouse murders are fascinating and so are the stories of piracy. And about every other page has a picture. If you like the history channel, you will love this book.
“The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald” in the early evening of November 10, 1975, disappeared during a heavy snow storm on Lake Superior. Her captain and crew of 28 men are still listed as “missing.”
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a book about one of the Great Lakes most tragic shipwreck. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is another great Michigan Nautical book.
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Paperback – 8.4 x 5.5
Number of Pages: 277
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What readers say:
Just completed reading Frederick Stonehouse’s book (1999 paperback addition) and could not put it down! The various theories mentioned in the text give the readers a good chance to draw an intelligent conclusion on their own. The details of Capt. Cooper’s (of the SS Arthur Anderson) conversations with Capt. McSorely were an excellent way of putting us in the middle of the tragic situation. The interview with Steve Chandler of “South Shore” magazine was another useful tool in bringing up many points about the investigation of the Coast Guard, as well as zeroing in on small facts of the Fitzgerald that might have contributed to its sinking. Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrics and reference were of particular interest to me, as his hit song was the way I found out about the wreck back in 1976. My only complaint; put the captions on the same page as the pictures instead of making the reader thumb back and forth to figure out what picture they are looking at. Otherwise, excellent work!
This is a very good book about the Fitzgerald wreck. However, two things I wish the author had done:
1. Get off his soapbox about the deficiencies in the Coast Guard Rescue services in lake Superior. I think it needed mentioning, but not in the detail he chose. He also ignores the Canadian rescue facilities.
2. Label the photographs instead of making the reader refer to other pages to determine what they are looking at.
Otherwise, the book is excellent and was well worth the money.
This book describes historical accidents and disasters which ships of 400-feet in length and larger have been involved. Very interesting and well researched Great Lakes stories.
Author: Wayne Louis Kadar
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.6
Number of Pages: 249
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This is Wayne Louis Kadar’s fourth published book.
This book contains 13 stories of true Great Lakes maritime history. Stories take place in eras from 1950 to 1880 and are all written in that captivating style that has become this author’s form of historical narrative. Highlights in the text include the thrilling story of the sinking of the whaleback steamer THOMAS WILSON which is pictured on the cover and the eyewitness account of the loss of the wooden steamer HERMAN H. HETTLER, with the eyewitness being interviewed by the author.
Author: Wes Oleszewski
Paperback – 8.5 x 5.6
Number of Pages: 212
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What readers say:
Wes Oleszewski brings us right no the deck of the ships & to the lakes we love. The information is profound dates/names/places. The diligent effort to bring the history to life makes enjoyable reading.
Great book! Wes has become probably the best writer the Lakes region has ever seen. His books are well researched, with no hyperbole, manufactured conversations or guess-work. Very meticulous in detail. Any of his books are a must-have for any serious Great Lakes reader.
