Ghost Ships, Gales, and Forgotten Tales

My Dad lent me this book, he bought it on a trip to the Great Lakes. This is another one that I didn't read for awhile because I thought it would be depressing, but it turned out to be more thrilling than depressing. Yes, some of the stories end in tragedy but not all of them do, and since they're about incidents that are not world-famous, I didn't know the endings to any of them ahead of time. The Edmund Fitzgerald, the only Great Lakes wreck that I could have named before reading this book, is not included. The stories that ended in rescue made me long to go on a lake-going adventure, but I can't imagine taking the risks that people routinely took around 100 years ago. It amazed me, captains that would knowingly head into a storm in a leaky, overloaded boat, and more amazingly they could find crews to go with them. One crew member survived six different wrecks! Apparently people had a different attitude toward human life back then."

Wes Oleszewski has become THE historian of Great Lakes adventures. His expert detail and research will take you back in time and put you on board many ill-fated "lakers." Anyone who has a remote interest into this subject, will not be disappointed. I especially liked the segment concerning the "whaleback" boats of Alexander McDougall. Refreshing in the spirit of Walter Havinghurst!

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.

I believe this book was written partly to counter-act the romantic story-telling of Great Lakes authors like Dwight Boyer ("True Tales of the Great Lakes," "Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes," etc.) and William Ratigan ("Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals")."Ghost Ships, Gales & Forgotten Tales" is a very well-researched, workman-like book that casts new light on (among other things) the invention and demise of Whalebacks, the Lake Michigan Storm of October, 1880 (also known as the "Alpena Storm" because of the sinking of the big passenger sidewheeler, 'Alpena'), and the chaos caused by the smash-up of the Poe Lock by the 'Isaac L. Ellwood' in November, 1909.My favorite story concerns the " Alpena Storm" and the loss of the 'Trader.' The author really did his research on the little steamer 'Trader,' which actually foundered a couple of days before the great storm of 1880. Her eleven crewmen were rescued by the schooner 'Guide' and the 'Trader' itself was towed to Grand Haven. Two days later, the "Alpena Storm" thundered down onto Lake Michigan and "full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew" sank beneath its suddenly murderous waves---including the 'Trader,' which somehow broke away from her mooring in Grand Haven. However at the time of her sinking she had no crew, even though the 'loss' of her eleven men was reported in all of the newspapers:"To Captain Brown [the 'Trader's master], the whole matter of the 'Trader' was probably an on-going source of aggravation for months to come. He found himself having to explain to his peers, each time that they met, how it was that he had not perished on Lake Michigan. Yet acquaintances that he had not seen in years greeted the good captain as if just returned from the great beyond."The author has included photographs and drawings of many of the ships featured in his stories, and also maps of where some of them disappeared below the waves.For the most part, Oleszewski stays away from the oft-told tales like the tragedy of the 'Eastland,' or the sinking of the 'Lady Elgin.' When he does touch upon a well-known event, he focuses on one of the 'little guys'---an old barge, tugboat, or schooner on the Lake long past its retirement date---that got caught in the same storm as the big freighters.According to its back cover, "Ghost Ships, Gales & Forgotten Tales" casts new light on some of the obscure Lake events that "have been under-reported, or forgotten altogether."

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.