Kingsford, Mich. (WZMQ) – The state of Michigan’s oldest cultural-based organization is in the Upper Peninsula this weekend for the U.P. Historical Conference. The event manager, Erika McDowell is taking walk-in registrations through-out the weekend. If someone is not a member of the Historical Society of Michigan, registration for this weekend’s event includes a one-year household membership to the society.
There will be a variety of keynote speakers, including a representative from the U.P. Heritage Center out of Marquette, who will be giving a presentation on Lewis Cass’s expedition of 1820. At tomorrow’s luncheon, the conference will feature some interesting great lakes maritime history in its line-up.
“We will be joined by Bruce Lynn of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Society, and he will be talking about the last whalebacks that were discovered on the Great Lakes, those would be barge 129 and the sagamore, so very exciting,” commented McDowell.
Whalebacks are a very interesting ship that are in a class all of their own in how they are constructed and how they look.
“They’re very, it’s almost like a rounded ship. It’s very interesting in terms of maritime history. Those are something that people have been chasing for a while to discover, through the great lakes historical society and their affiliates that search the great lakes and Superior specifically. For shipwrecks this was a big find for them, so they’ve been able to locate barge 129, and they’ll be able to share a little bit more about the Sagamore story as well,” McDowell explained.
