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S.S. KEEWATIN TO TURN 100! You are invited to help celebrate the upcoming 100th ANNIVERSARY of the LAST OF THE CLASSIC GREAT LAKES STEAMSHIPS! The majestic 350-foot S.S. Keewatin, permanently moored at Historic Red Dock, is a former passenger and freight steamship of the Canadian Pacific Railway. She was built near Glasgow, Scotland and launched in 1907 and serviced the Canadian waters from Port McNicoll, on the Georgian Bay, to Fort William/Port Arthur, on Lake Superior, for 57 years until her retirement in 1965. She was one of hundreds of boats to operate on the Great Lakes and like many of them was destined for the scrap yard. In 1967 she was purchased and brought to the Douglas/Saugatuck harbor to be opened as a maritime museum. For the past 39 years Keewatin has been and is currently open seven days a week between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. Guided tours are available from 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. The Upper Deck Tour transports one back in time to the by-gone era of elegant passenger steamship travel. Visitors see the 105 first-class passenger staterooms, which berthed the 288 passengers; crew quarters; the plant-filled Flower Well Lounge with its Italian hand-etched and painted skylight windows; the forward Ladies’ Drawing Room, with its Edwardian-style writing desk; the 120-seat walnut-lined Edwardian dining room; the galley with its 11 ½ foot cast-iron coal stove; and the hand-carved oak panels of the original men’s lounge. The guided tour also includes the Captain’s Suite, which is preserved as it was left by the Keewatin’s last Master, and a visit to the Wheel House, which contains the main wheel and all of the navigational equipment used when the boat was retired in 1965. Tours are also available, on request, of the Engine Room/Boiler Room. The quadruple expansion engine produced 3,300 horsepower providing a cruising speed of fourteen knots. The engine was fueled by four hand-stoked coal-burning Scotch boilers which burned twenty tons of coal per day. Or one can see it all from top to bottom, bow to stern, and port to starboard on the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour includes the Upper Deck Tour, the Engine/Boiler Room Tour, the museum display area on the Cargo Deck, and the newly renovated Lower Fantail area. Here one can see the Chief Engineer’s Suite, the Bridal Suite, the Musicians’ Room, the pantry, the refrigeration room, and the Steering Gear Engine. All tours begin at the main entrance on the Cargo Deck, where visitors will find displays of: the Keewatin’s history and her crew; other Great Lakes vessels; many ocean-going vessels, including the Titanic and the Queen Mary 2; pictures and postcards of the Saugatuck/Douglas area; and information on Historic Red Dock. Explore the museum gift shop where you will find nautical collectibles, keepsakes, gifts, memorabilia, and books on deep-sea ships and Great Lakes boats. Ninety-five Years Young: The Story of the S.S. Keewatin and our newest booklet of color photos of the Keewatin are available for purchase. There is no admission charge to come aboard and visit the gift shop. |
S.S. Keewatin Maritime Museum 225 Union Street and Blue Star Highway Douglas, MI 49406 Phone and Fax: 269-857-2464 Contact: Kathy Murphy 269-857-2464 Visit our website: www.keewatinmaritimemuseum.com "Thank you so much for your interest in the Keewatin Maritime Museum! We hope that if we can be of any further assistance to you ... you will take the time to contact us through the site." Mailing Address The Keewatin Maritime Museum Attn: Bob and Cindy Zimmerman P.O. Box 638, Douglas, MI 49406 Phone 269-857-2464 (in season, 10 A.M.-5 P.M.) Curators: Bob and Cindy Zimmerman 517-589-8635 (Winter) 269-857-7235 (Summer) info@keewatinmaritimemuseum.com |
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