Introduction

A large part of Ernest Hemingway’s childhood involved his family’s annual summer trip to their cottage on Walloon Lake in Michigan. However, significant complications in travel were present in the 1900's compared to today. So how did they get there?

Every year, the Hemingway family would begin their journey by traveling to Chicago by train from their home in Oak Park, Illinois (Baker 7). The family would then haul themselves as well as their awkward luggage trunks loaded with a large number of clothes, personal items, and books, onto a Lake Michigan steamer destined for Harbor Springs. On their first trip in 1898, the Hemingways took the SS Manitou (Federspiel 34). Once in Harbor Springs, the family boarded another train to Petoskey, followed by yet another small branch line to Walloon Lake, where a small, two-decker wood-burning steamer named The Tourist toted them for the final phase of the journey to their cottage on Walloon Lake (Mellow 14). This routine became a regular part of the Hemingways’ lives as they made their way to their home away from home each summer.

The S.S. Manitou

Though the Hemingways did not travel specifically on the Manitou every summer, they still used similar steamship transportation. It is known that the Hemingways indeed traveled on the Manitou more than once - including the summer of 1917 in which only the daughters traveled since the rest of the family took Dr. Hemingway’s Model T (Mellow 35) – and the other trips were taken by similar steamships. It can reasonably be concluded that the family’s experiences on other ships were similar to the ones on the Manitou.

Often referred to as the “Greyhound of the Great Lakes,” the Manitou existed as one of the fastest and most elegant steamships of its time (Mayo 55). The Chicago Shipbuilding Company successfully launched the Manitou, which belonged to the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior line, on May 20, 1893. Despite the difficulty of the sideways launch, a more graceful and beautiful effect resulted, where all present hailed it as one of the most successful lake launches of its time. A beautiful young woman named Miss Florence Higinbotham, who happened to be the daughter of President Higinbotham of the World’s Fair, christened the Manitou by breaking a wine bottle on the bow of the ship while exclaiming “I christen thee Manitou,” (CT 21 May 1893 1). Unlike any lake steamer of its time, this ship could be compared to an ocean vessel in all aspects but size. Upon inspection during its open house, tourists and passengers alike praised the Manitou as being the most magnificent vessel on the lakes (CT 04 July 1893 8). Everyone revered the Manitou for its grace, elegance, and luxury!

The cost of a ticket aboard the Manitou from Chicago to Mackinaw, at least in 1903, amounted to $7 per passenger going and one-third fare returning (Mayo 55). This ticket would prove to be worth its price. The Manitou could comfortably house 400 first class passengers, had a magnificent dining room, saloon, gentlemen’s room, and ladies’ room. Once aboard, passengers could also enjoy the amenities of running water, a nice bed, food, a saloon, smoking, and a promenade area for walking as well as social activities on the hurricane deck (CT 20 Feb 1893 12). Its first trip averaged a speed of 15.25 mph, a rate quite fast