Saginaw River Sunday - Best of 2009

Saginaw River Sunday!

With no commercial traffic yet on the Saginaw River, the start of the season will be the latest since 2014. For now, enjoy these photos I shot during the 2009 season on the Saginaw River.

Vessel Built Along the Banks of Saginaw River Heads for Scrap

Built along the banks of the Saginaw River at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in 1952, she was launched as the Charles L. Hutchinson, and had a great career on the Great Lakes. Tuesday, April 5th, 2022, that career came to an end as she arrived at the Marine Recycling Company in Port Colborne, ON to be scrapped.

Over her career, she carried five different names: Charles L. Hutchinson, Ernest R. Breech, Kinsman Independent, Voyageur Independent, and finishing as Ojibway. Definitely a sad day for me to see this classic Bay City built vessel about to be scrapped as she was one of my favorites.

The first two photos of the Charles L. Hutchinson, shown on the Saginaw River before entering service, are from the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society photo collection. The second two are my photos, from the only time I was able to photograph her in person, in Port Huron, MI in 2006, when she siad as the Voyageur Independent

Saginaw River Sunday - Best of 2008

Saginaw River Sunday!  

Still anxiously waiting for the first vessel of the 2022 shipping season here on the Saginaw River, so today, while we wait, I am taking you back to the 2008 season. It was a sad year in that the classic E.M. Ford was towed from her longtime home at the Lafarge Cement Terminal in Carrolton and taken to the Soo to be scrapped. It is also sad to look back at these old photos and see how lazy and uninspired I have become with my photography. I used to put so much more effort into going to different locations along the river for different views, but now, it seems I take the easy route, using the same few locations for photos close to my home. I need to do better in 2022!