Saginaw River Marine Historical Society

Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Members from Bay City, Saginaw, Midland, MI & beyond. Our mailing address:
Saginaw River Marine Historical Society
P.O. Grant (corner of Center Ave. and N.

Formed in 1990, the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society (SRMHS) is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization interested in the maritime history of the Saginaw River & its connecting waters. Box 2051
Bay City, MI 48707-2051
United States

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Our physical address at Bay City Town Center:
Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Store
4101 E Wilder Rd
Bay City, MI 48706

Lin

k to the location of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Store inside Bay City Town Center on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/M2hhiofdV1pNbeuF8

Bay City Town Center is an enclosed shopping mall in Bangor Township, Bay County, Michigan, just outside the city of Bay City. Information Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_City_Town_Center

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The Michigan-based Saginaw River Marine Historical Society (SRMHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has members from Bay City, Saginaw, Midland and beyond! Formed in 1989, the SRMHS is an all volunteer organization interested in the maritime history of the Saginaw River (and its connecting waters), including the more than 650 commercial vessels that were built on the Saginaw River and around Saginaw Bay (of Lake Huron). At one time there were a half-dozen larger (and many more smaller ones) shipyards turning out schooners, freighters, passenger ships, and tugs. The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Store is in the Bay City Town Center (formerly known as Bay City Mall), located next to Zales Jewelers. The artifacts on display in the SRMHS Museum tell the story of shipbuilding on the Saginaw River. While it is not a complete history of shipbuilding, we hope this will encourage visitors to learn more about the contributions of early Saginaw River shipbuilders. More than 650 commercial vessels were built on the Saginaw River and around the Saginaw Bay. The hours of the SRMHS Museum and Store are subject to change because we are staffed by volunteers. Anyone planning to visit during scheduled hours (Saturdays 1:00 pm-4:00 pm and Sundays 1:00 pm-4:00 pm) can confirm we are open by calling Don Morin (SRMHS president) at our phone number: 989-545-9425. You can also call Don to make an appointment to visit at other times. Link to the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Store inside Bay City Town Center (formerly known as Bay City Mall) on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/M2hhiofdV1pNbeuF8
The SRMHS Museum and Store is 2400 square feet. If you would like to volunteer as a greeter, please contact Chris at secretary.srmhs@gmail

The original lighthouse at the mouth of the Saginaw River was named Saginaw Bay Lighthouse, with a tower of 65 feet in height. Saginaw Bay Lighthouse was activated in September 1841 and replaced by the Saginaw River (Front and Rear) Range Lights, that were lit for the first time on September 15, 1876. The focal plane of Saginaw River Rear Range is 61 feet above lake level, and the second Saginaw River Front Range Light (built in 1915) was made of steel and its focal plane was 39 feet above lake level. (The tower of the first Saginaw River Front Range Light, built in 1876, was made of wood and the focal plane was 37 feet above lake level.) Circa 1963, a new shipping channel with a more direct route to/from Lake Huron was constructed in Saginaw Bay, so the new front and rear range lights made the Saginaw River Range Lights obsolete. Saginaw River Front Range Light was removed from its crib on the west side of the Saginaw River (near the mouth) in the 1960s. The building for the inactive Saginaw River Rear Range Light continued as an active U.S. Coast Guard station until 1980, when they moved to a new facility across the river in Bay County’s Hampton Township (listed as an Essexville, Michigan postal address). The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society is involved in the renovation of Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse, which is located on Dow Chemical Company property in Bangor Township of Bay County, Michigan. The lighthouse is about 3/4 mile south of the mouth of the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron). In this January 21, 2020 Facebook post, the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society announced that Dow Chemical will completely fund the renovation of Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse: https://www.facebook.com/SaginawRiverMarineHistoricalSociety/photos/3038499329496377

Renovation of Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse began in 2022. At this time, the lighthouse is not open for tours because of the renovation and we do not know when it will be open to the public. The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society has seven monthly presentations (link to our upcoming presentations: https://www.facebook.com/SaginawRiverMarineHistoricalSociety/events/ ) a year and they start at 6:30 pm on the third Saturday of each month (unless there is a different location / day / time for a specific presentation). The presentations are at Trinity Episcopal Church, 815 N. Grant St.) in Bay City, Michigan. Please use the Fifth Street entrance at the back of the church. (Location of the church from Google Maps: https://tinyurl.com/mw9fpykn ) NOTE: Our regular presentations are FREE and open to the public and there is no charge to attend. Customarily, there are no presentations in May, June, July, August and December. Saginaw River Marine Historical Society membership is a $15 annual fee for an individual, $30 annual fee for a family and $300 for a lifetime membership. Membership includes our quarterly newsletter, the "Modoc Whistle." A SRMHS Membership Application Form is at this link: http://tinyurl.com/4uey3rzt

On the third Saturday of every October (usually at 4:00 pm), the SRMHS holds an Annual Memorial Service in memory of area mariners who lost their lives on the Great Lakes. This short service is held at downtown Bay City's Third Street Waterfall Park, located next to and over the Saginaw River (near St. Laurent Brothers). The public is welcome to attend this service. (Note: 2016 was the last year we had this service on the third Saturday of November.) The Saginaw River is about 22 miles long. The river is formed by the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Shiawassee Rivers, just west of the southern city limits of Saginaw, Michigan, and it flows northward into the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron (one of the five "Great Lakes"; the Great Lakes are approximately 20% of the world's freshwater supply), just northeast of Bay City. The slope of the Saginaw River is so small that fluctuations in the elevation of Saginaw Bay caused by strong winds sometimes reverse the current in the river. The Saginaw River is in the Great Lakes Bay Region (see http://www.greatlakesbay.com for more information about the Great Lakes Bay Region).

06/25/2026
SRMHS Fundraiser. Deadline to buy raffle tickets is coming soon!Note: Money from the Bay City Eagles Aerie #1010 Daily ...
06/25/2026

SRMHS Fundraiser. Deadline to buy raffle tickets is coming soon!

Note: Money from the Bay City Eagles Aerie #1010 Daily 3 Raffle will help fund Saginaw River Marine Historical Society (SRMHS) projects, including exhibits in our Museum and in Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse. Please share this information with your friends!

BAY CITY EAGLES AERIE #1010 DAILY 3 RAFFLE Celebrating the UNITED STATES SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL

The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society has been selling raffle tickets as a fundraiser, along with the Bay City Eagles Aerie #1010, as some of the proceeds will go to our organization. (SRMHS gets to keep all of the money for each $25 Daily 3 Raffle ticket it sells.) Tickets can be purchased through this Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Tickets are $25.00 each.

Ways you can buy tickets:
• From SRMHS President Don Morin. Call him at 989-545-9425.
• At the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Museum and Gift Shop in Bay City Town Center, Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 pm–4:00 pm OR schedule an appointment by calling Don Morin at 989-545-9425.

The Raffle will be everyday from July 1 through July 31, 2026. There are a total of 62 drawings and will be done twice a day: $150 Midday (except for $250 on July 4th) and $250 Evening. Winning number based on the State of Michigan Midday & Evening Daily 3 Drawing.

A total of $12,500 will be won in 31 days.

AMERICA 250

License .

Here is a link to information about the raffle, from the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society website: https://saginawrivermhs.wixsite.com/srmhs/raffle-with-bay-city-eagles

Photos by Todd Shorkey.
06/18/2026

Photos by Todd Shorkey.

The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society will be a vendor at the Urban Salvage Vintage Market in Bay City's Veterans ...
06/15/2026

The Saginaw River Marine Historical Society will be a vendor at the Urban Salvage Vintage Market in Bay City's Veterans Memorial Park.

• Saturday, August 8, 2026, from from 9:00 am–5:00 pm
• Sunday, August 9, 2026 from 9:00 am–4:00 pm
• Admission: $5
• Veterans and children 12 and under admitted free.

Photo from the Peter VanderLinden collection.
06/15/2026

Photo from the Peter VanderLinden collection.

The salvage vessel Treasure Unlimited, probably at Amherstburg, Ont. June 13, 1954. Peter VanderLinden collection/MHSD.

Here is a history of the vessel taken from MHSD's book "The Great Lakes Engineering Works- The Shipyard and its Vessels".

Auto-Passenger Ferry built in 1926 at the River Rouge yard as a) HALCYON (US.225224). Launched December 19, 1925 for the Walkerville & Detroit Ferry Co., Detroit, Michigan for cross-river service between Walkerville, Ontario and Detroit. Dimensions:142’2”loa-128’lbp-44’11”-15’8”; 405 GRT, 273 NRT. Powered by an 810 ihp fore & aft compound steam engine and two coal-fired Scotch boilers. The HALCYON and fleetmate WAYNE were the last of the Detroit River auto-passenger ferries that operated until May 1942. The HALCYON was purchased by the U.S. Coast Guard and was towed to Toledo, Ohio in August 1942 to be converted to an icebreaker-buoy tender and renamed b) USCGC CHAPARRAL (WAGL 178). After decommissioning, she was sold Canadian to Pelee Shipping Co. Ltd, London, Ontario in 1946 and unofficially renamed CANADIAN HOLIDAY. She was to have been rebuilt as a passenger ship but that never materialized. Then in 1952 she was sold to McLean, Harrison, Moore & Smith of Kingston, Ontario. She was to be rebuilt as a salvage vessel for an “Underwater Exploration Club.” She was given the name of c) TREASURE UNLIMITED (C.313944). However, she remained idle at Windsor, Ontario. Next, she was moored at McQueen’s Dock at Amherstburg, Ontario until 1959 and then towed to Kingston, Ontario. The vessel was sold to the Levis Trading Co. Ltd, Lauzon, Quebec in 1961. She left the Lakes for the East Coast and was officially renamed d) NEWFOUNDLAND CRUISER after her conversion at Quebec City to a Coastal Freighter. In addition to service on the East Coast, she operated in the St. Lawrence Seaway and made several trips into the Great Lakes. The NEWFOUNDLAND CRUISER grounded during a storm at Cape Dorset on Baffin Island September 15, 1963 and was abandoned as a total loss. There was no loss of life.

06/14/2026
06/12/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USS Silversides Submarine Museum Announces Major Dry Dock Preservation Project

Historic WWII submarine to undergo critical restoration for the first time in decades

Muskegon, MI — June 5, 2026 — The USS Silversides Submarine Museum today announced the launch of a major dry dock preservation project for the USS Silversides (SS-236), one of the most decorated submarines of World War II. This significant effort will ensure the long-term preservation of the vessel and safeguard its legacy for future generations.

In July 2026, USS Silversides will begin a carefully planned journey across Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where she will undergo essential preservation work for the first time in decades.

For more than 80 years, USS Silversides has stood as a symbol of American courage, innovation, and sacrifice. Today, much of the vessel lies below the waterline, making it impossible to fully inspect critical structural components while afloat.

This complex, multi-phase project is being led by Valkor Energy Services, serving as the Project and Construction Management Team. Valkor brings significant experience in historic maritime preservation, having served as the project management and engineering firm for the multi-year restoration of the Battleship Texas—one of the most complex ship preservation efforts in the United States.

Once in Sturgeon Bay, restoration will take place at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, a leading Great Lakes shipyard with the capacity and expertise to accommodate a vessel of Silversides’ size and historic significance. The submarine will be transported under tow by Basic Towing, Inc. of Escanaba, Michigan, an experienced marine transportation provider specializing in Great Lakes towing operations.

During dry dock, specialists will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and restoration effort, including hull cleaning, structural inspection, steel repair, and the application of advanced protective coatings to ensure long-term stability.

“USS Silversides is more than a historic artifact—she is a powerful, living connection to the men who served and the communities that supported them,” said Veronica Campbell, Executive Director of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum. “This project represents our commitment to preserving that legacy with care and integrity. By taking action now, we are ensuring that future generations can continue to experience her story firsthand.”

The submarine has not undergone full dry dock preservation in over 50 years, and delaying this work increases the risk of structural deterioration, safety concerns, and significantly higher repair costs. The estimated $3.5 million project is supported by a $750,000 grant through the Save America’s Treasures Grant Program, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Through this grant and the incredible generosity of our major donors and sponsors, this preservation project has come to fruition. The Museum Board and Staff sincerely thank those that stepped up to ensure the submarine’s lasting impact on future generations.

The towing of USS Silversides is tentatively scheduled for July 13, 2026, with a return anticipated in mid-October 2026. During this time, the museum building in Muskegon will remain open to the public, continuing to offer exhibits, programming, and educational experiences.

While USS Silversides undergoes preservation, the Museum is preparing to introduce new waterfront experiences for visitors, including plans for a visiting tall ship. A formal announcement with additional details is expected soon.

USS Silversides welcomes community members, donors, and supporters to be part of this historic effort. Contributions directly support critical preservation work and help ensure that this national treasure remains accessible for generations to come.

https://silversidesmuseum.org/dry-dock-uss-silversides/

06/10/2026

Sailing back in time on the
George A Sloan
1943-2021

Address

Bay City, MI

Opening Hours

Saturday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+19895459425

Website

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