“S. S. Badger”/Manitowoc and the Car Ferries
Lake Michigan Carferry Dock, 700 S. Lakeview Dr., Manitowoc, Manitowoc County
Built by the Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay in 1952, the S. S. Badger is the last of fourteen Ludington, Michigan-based car ferries still crossing Lake Michigan. Commissioned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the S. S. Badger, named for the University of Wisconsin athletic teams, provided passenger and freight service between Manitowoc and Ludington. After railroad car ferry service declined, the Lake Michigan Carferry Service purchased and renovated the S. S. Badger in 1992. Today, the ferry transports truck freight, automobiles, and passengers.
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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]