Customer Reviews

Chicora: Lost on Lake Michigan (Saugatuck maritime series)

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I found "Chicora : Lost on Lake Michigan" to be an engrossing read. In recounting the story using excerpts from newspaper accounts I really got a good insight on the prevailing mindset of the people of that time. The book is not just about a shipwreck. It deals also with an issue that is vitually unknown in todays society: lack of information. In todays world we are sometimes presented with more information than we can handle, modern technology, in its various forms, phone, fax, TV, radio,and internet keeps us connected to the world in a way unheard of in the time of the Chicoras demise. The book describes how crowds of people waited for the newspapers, or relied on, sometimes erroneous, word of mouth updates on what was really going on. Reading about these methods as primary for dissemination of information was really a visit to times gone by. The pace of the book did slow quite a bit as the author described, in detail, a history and motivation behind each crew member, but overall I found it a worthwhile read.

The Chicora is a ship close to my heart because it captures the essence of a maritime mystery over 100 years old now but based in my hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan. The lore of this ship is known to all who dwell here and I was really expecting something exciting when first setting eyes on this book. I found that is consisted of mostly newspaper articles from the various editions covering the tragedy rather than anything new. There were limited photos of some crew members available but I didn't feel much research was done them for this book. Basically I felt the book was a compliation of material already out there and nothing much new to offer.