Overview

This study of the legendary Michigan shipbuilder Frank E. Kirby examines his life and the accomplishments that earned him national esteem and international fame. Kirby was involved in the design and build of nearly one hundred vessels, many of which sailed the Great Lakes region. He is best known for designing the paddle steamer Tashmoo and two boats that ferried visitors to Boblo Island in the Detroit River for decades, Columbia and Ste. Claire. Though only three of his vessels remain, none of them operational, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are still alive today have been carried by Kirby vessels. Told through stories found in the Detroit Free Press, historical archives, family documents, an interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Dorothy Clement Kirby in 1926, and keepsakes, Richard Gebhart brings to life the story of one of the most prolific Great Lakes shipbuilders of the time.

Full Product Details

9781611865653

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Reviews

“Frank E. Kirby was a huge figure in the design of early Great Lakes passenger ships, bulk carriers, and ice-breaking railroad ferries in the late 1800s. His accomplishments have been, for the most part, overlooked. This book is a wonderful account of his accomplishments and of his part in shaping the early shipbuilding industry of Detroit.” —Robert B. Campbell, author of Classic Ships of the Great Lakes “A long overdue biography of one of the most influential figures in vessel design. A must-read for all aficionados of Great Lakes shipping history.” —Mark Peter Sprang, archivist, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University

“Frank E. Kirby was a huge figure in the design of early Great Lakes passenger ships, bulk carriers, and ice-breaking railroad ferries in the late 1800s. His accomplishments have been, for the most part, overlooked. This book is a wonderful account of his accomplishments and of his part in shaping the early shipbuilding industry of Detroit.” — Robert B. Campbell, author of Classic Ships of the Great Lakes -- Robert B. Campbell “A long overdue biography of one of the most influential figures in vessel design. A must-read for all aficionados of Great Lakes shipping history.” -- Mark Peter Sprang * archivist, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University *

Author Information

Richard Gebhart was director of the White River Light Station lighthouse museum from 1975 to 1980. He has authored numerous articles of historical interest and essays for journals and newsletters of Great Lakes historical societies, as well as the book Ships and Shipwrecks: Stories from the Great Lakes and Tragedy and Triumph on the Great Lakes.

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