Read
what others are saying about "For Those in peril:
Shipwrecks of Ottawa County"
"Craig
Rich has done a great job of exploring and recreating
for us the dreadful shipping accidents around historic
Ottawa County. Their stories will captivate western
Michigan residents, historians, and divers alike. For
Those in Peril is a wonderful resource!"
- C.
Patrick Labadie, Historian, Thunder Bay National Marine
Sanctuary, Alpena, MI
"For
Those In Peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County" is an important addition to any
Great Lakes maritime book collection. Craig Rich chronicles the exciting rescues
and devastating losses of over a hundred vessels decade by decade from the 1850s
through the modern era in what is the most comprehensive tally ever compiled for
the region."
- Geoffrey
Reynolds, Executive Director, Joint Archives of Holland
"This book has appeal for and makes important
contributions to several areas of interest. For those
interested in local or state history, it has the rare
combination of being filled with detailed information
and great human interest. Craig’s style takes what could
easily be a dry database and breathes life into it. For
those interested in Great Lakes maritime history, it
provides a highly readable, geographically focused look
at the progression of marine practice and technology.
For the recreational diver, it is a great resource on
potential dive sites. I highly recommend it."
-
Bob Vande Vusse, Director, Fennville District Library,
Fennville, MI
"For Those In Peril" is
now available!
For
Those in Peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County Michigan is available to
pre-order! You can be among the first to receive a copy when they are
shipping in February 2010.
The book
is 136 pages, soft-cover and priced at $17.95.
If you
order now, you will receive FREE
SHIPPING!
Click on
"Add to Cart" to order using PayPal.
Read a
synopsis of the book below.
The lyrics of the hymn "Eternal Father
Strong to Save" pay homage to sailors who
risk their lives in the course of everyday
work and aptly express the intriguing
maritime heritage of Ottawa County,
Michigan, a region along the eastern shore
of Lake Michigan that saw many a ship and
sailor lost.
The
lakeshore communities of Grand Haven and Holland became thriving commercial
ports in the latter half of the 19th century and bore witness to the
evolutionary changes in Great Lakes transportation. Early wooden sailing
vessels were replaced by wooden steamers, which soon made way for steel
vessels, which grew to include today's "thousand footers." Schooners laden
with lumber and stone gave way to luxury passenger steamships ferrying
Chicago’s wealthy tourists to Ottawa County’s grand tourist hotels.
Families
were changed forever when husbands and sons were lost to the gales of
November, and fortunes were lost when vessel owners tried to get just one
more trip in before the harsh winters closed the ports. Many of these
vessels were simply overtaken by age, mechanical failure or shifting sands.
Some broke up on shore while others were refloated to sail again. Some were
left to rot at the dock while others simply sailed over the horizon into
oblivion never to be seen again. Many now serve as “ice water museums,”
attracting scuba divers, explorers and historians to these shipwrecks that
comprise an important part of the early history of Ottawa County and the
Great Lakes region as well.
Regional Studies
136
Pages - 55 photographs
ISBN:978-0-9801750-2-8
Since 1987 I have been with advertising department of
the
Grand Rapids Business Journal
-- a weekly business-to-business newspaper in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The
G. R. Business Journal
is an incredible newspaper that reaches (through paid subscriptions) over
20,000 business decision makers throughout the west Michigan area.
I
serve as an Advertising Sales Consultant. You can start a subscription or
request advertising info by
contacting
me .
Genealogy is a
big part of my life. I am mostly working on my "Rich"
family history. I am a lifetime member and current President of the
Rich Family Association of Wellfleet, Massachusetts and have designed a web
page for the association. Through
Rootsweb I administer two email mailing
lists -- the Mayflower list and the Rich
list. So, whether you're searching for your Pilgrim roots or you have Riches
in your past, you've come to the right place!
As a SCUBA diver and wreck researcher, I spend
almost as much time underwater as I do in the library or on the Internet
researching "ships gone missing". I am a part of the team which recently
discovered the wreck of the long-lost "H. C. Akeley", the car ferry
"Ann Arbor no. 5" , the "SS Michigan", Hennepin and several
other significant shipwrecks. We've formed the 501(c)3 non-profit group
Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates to assure proper documentation and
research of these historic vessels and others we plan to locate.
For
Those in Peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County Michigan is available to
pre-order! You can be among the first to receive a copy when they are
shipping in February 2010.