A History of the Huron Cement freighters on the Great Lakes 

I remember as a kid living in Superior WI inthe late 60's early 70's, seeing the, what I saw as gray ships with HURON CEMENT on the side!! We would be down in Canel Park by the Arial Lift Bridge watching the ships come and go. I remember asking my dad how does a ship full of cement stay afloat? Then how do they get it out once its hard!! Ah the silly questions of a young empty mind!! Lol

Thank you for your videos! In 1946 my dad was 16 years old, helping his father build a tall brick chimney in Alpena at a church or school. While on top of the chimney my dad John Dault saw the John W. Boardman arrive at the cement plant. He had my grandfather drive him over to it and got a job right then as a Deckhand on the Boardman. Dad spent a year on the Boardman and then joined the U.S. Army at age 17. He served in Japan and Korea. My dad was on a troop ship crossing the Pacific coming home just days before discharge when the Korean War broke out. He returned to Michigan in 1950 and returned to sailing the Lake Freighters on the Simon J. Murphy. The last laker my dad sailed on was the William F. Stiflel as a deck watchman. The captain of the Stifel dad sailed under was Captain McSorley who later went down with the Fitzgerald. McSorley was impressed with my dads experience on the lakers and wanted him to go the school to become an officer. Dad met my mom during his time while working on the Stifel and eventually in 1953 stopped sailing to marry her and settled in Bay City. In 2018 we were graciously invited to tour the Boardman and that meant the world to us and my dad! I even have pictures of him at 88 years old standing next to his old bunk he last had seen when he was 16. My Dad loved the lakes and it was his favorite thing he ever did. This past February, just two months shy of 92nd birthday, dad passed away. Dad had a lot of great stories about his experiences and absolutely loved the time he spent on the boats! A true sailor at heart! He even had a drawing of the John W. Boardman engraved on his grave stone!

The Alpena is my favorite, very striking lines and color!

I love this kind of history lesson. Thank you so much!

Got a little chuckle over hearing how they used to bag cement by hand because that’s almost exactly how we do it at my job, however we aren’t bagging cement and we’ve got an automatic scale and bagger machine, but it’s still stacked on pallets by hand

A few things to add on to this video, The Paul H. Townsend stern is still currently alive at the scrap dock in ON. The S,T Crapo will be towed September 23 from Green Bay WI to port colborne (Where the stern of the Townsend remains) And now there are to Lafarge barges sailing the lakes. The Samuel de Champlain / Innovation and G. L. Ostrander / Integrity (Talked about in video)

Thanks Wes, these stories need to be told. Ships are like old fire stations. They were manned 24/7 for years and years. When they are scrapped or torn down, they remain alive in the memories of those who served in them. The rest of us have to rely on historians and people with a passion for them, living or dead...thanks W.

I really enjoy your informative videos. I'm kinda a Great Lakes junkie when it comes to nautical history and with a Great Lakes library of over 150 books and counting (btw 10% are written by a guy named Wes Oleszewski) I really take heed to your recommendations and did find a copy of that Huron Cement history book. Thanks again for all you do for Great Lakes history.

Great video. Almost an entire history in itself. I also thought I saw a vessel that looked a little like a liberty ship about 8:19 but I could not tell.

I did winter maintenance on a lot of the vessels that wintered in Green Bay. The Townsend, EM Ford, JB Ford, Crepeau and others.

Another excellent video and a super spectacular shirt. Thanks for sharing.

I enjoy your informational videos, I worked at the San Island Ship repair in Portland Oregon for many years

Thank you so much wes! the JAW Iglehart is my vavorite vessel of all time! great video!

Great video Wes!

By the way Wes, I really enjoyed your video. And your model collection is beyond impressive!

Thanks for the video, brought back good memories. I was aboard several of those boats during the 80’s and 90’s. My family was friends with the manager of the St. Joe terminal. Went aboard several times and ate with the Skipper or Crew on multiple occasions.

Thank you Wes for this flash back. Being born in Alpena and having a few cousins who worked summer jobs on the ore boats I really enjoyed this episode of yours. I remember stories that the crewmen initially hated the color as it was harder to clean and maintain (not sure if that was true or just griping about change). Always loved seeing them on the lakes as it was a reminder of home. The city FB site still updates the Alpena's travels.

1:03 I like how you make your steering poles actually fold inward and outward! Cool detail

Really nicely done Wes. In my mind, the unique off white color reminds me of the color of most concrete I see out in the real world. Cement obviously is a key product in the making of concrete. So today's color of the Alpena is the right color!

Thanks Wes.

Thanks again!

I always referred to the "Huron Cement off-white" boats as "cement colored", I never knew that this color had a specific name. Another enjoyable and informative video that brought back a lot of memories. Thanks, Wes!

Interesting to see the picture of the Huron cement boat under the single Blue Water bridge in front of the Peerless cement plant.

I grew up and lived just north of Cheboygan during the 60's 70's 80's and 90's. From the vantage point of where I lived you could see from the Poe Reef Lighthouse to the Mackinaw Bridge. I used to see all these old ships on a regular basis during that time. One thing I remember most was seeing the smoke plume well before the ships broke the horizon.

This was GREAT! I've often wondered about the history of that company. It also provides inspiration for models outside of boats(commercial trucks), even if they may be 'phantom' models, i.e, cement trucks in both paint schemes. Thanks Wes!

Oh, the beautiful ship Alpena, Grand Old Lady of the Lakes!

Great video! I remember the off white color.

I really enjoy seeing Dj Story’s photos on of ships on the Saginaw River I spend lots of time fliming ships on the river and admiring the history. A couple days ago I went to the park at the location of Captain Davison’s shipyard/West Bay City ship building and seen the rudder of the Sacramento. And also the wreaks out in the river which there are some part of them sticking out of the water. Lastly on Sep 16 I seen Alpena unloading at lafarge in Essexville and documented it for my channel of course before she’s gone ( hopefully saved ).

Love the shirt! (As well as the video)

Great video Wes, a group of friends and myself tried real damned hard to keep the JB Ford and later the ST Crapo with us as a museum but sadly both couldn’t come together due to various circumstances that were sadly outside our control. We were very close on the Crapo, but again we sadly failed. 😢

A very informative and interesting video. Shame so many unique and old boats had to go.

I'm watching this at school right now lol

Darn, I was hoping to add three pictures I took back in the summer of 1970 when I was a 19 year old deckhand on the Harriman and we ran aground in the Saginaw River. At least I think it was the Saginaw. The memories are fuzzy as it was 52 years ago and I was not good about documenting my adventures. I believe that a bridge did not open for us. I was also on the JB Ford which several of the mostly Alpena born crew considered the best boat for rough seas. Not that the captains would take us out in that weather - these were old boats! I was on one other Huron Cement boat but I'm not certain which one - the EM Ford maybe. One other memory to share: we were sailing in dense fog and I had just gotten off watch. The fog horn was blaring so I climbed the steps up to the main deck and my last step up was about 3' to the left. We had been skinned by an ocean going ship. The cook and assorted shipmates on that boat were out on the fantail and yelling and hollering. I have no idea who was at fault but the third mate who was on duty at the time got off the ship the next time we were in Alpena. I can only imagine his terror as that ship finally came into view!

Them models are amazing I would build water tank docks like use to be

Thanks for another good video! Would I have seen any of these coming thru the Soo Locks? Or only in the Straits of Mackinac?

Great video Wes, it's a shame that the Crapo is going to get towed to scrap..that only leaves J. A. W. Iglehart as the only Huron Cement laker.

I worked at the Manitowoc shipyard in Sturgeon Bay in the late '70s. If you were a f**k-up, you would get sent from working on one of the new-construction boats to working on one of the cement boats that was in for repairs. It was the shipyard equivalent of getting sent to the Eastern Front. I got sent to work on one for a few days, after some of my own f**k-ups. The shop foreman took me aside and told me that if I didn't straighten out, it would be permanent. I straightened out. Somewhat. I was 19 years old, what do you expect? The cement boats were dirty and encrusted with cement, I spent the week removing cement from surfaces so they could be repaired and painted. Going back to the new-construction part of the yard was a real relief.

Wes your timing with this video could not have been any closer to perfect. On September 20th there was a story on WLUK TV in Green Bay, WI, saying that the S.T. Crapo, has been sold to Marine Rrecycling Corp. She has been a storage barge at Green Bay since 1996, but that use will end this Friday (Sept 23rd) when she will be towed to Port Colborne, ON, for scrapping. It will be sad to see this old lady leave her position on the Fox River for the last time, I have enjoyed seeing her there, right across the river from the Historic Hazelwood House.

So my takeaway is that in over 100 years Michigan drivers went from bad to worse, Michigan contractors STILL cannot figure out how to build a smooth road from concrete....and one ship was converted into a very cool residence on South Bass Island. All joking aside.....very informative video.

Another great video. Where did you get that shirt? would love to buy one.

Down to one boat hope others step up to deliver a much need material

OK that does it, I want that Tee-shirt!

If you have ever feel like it or get time can you please do history on the ford company? Thanks if you do do it

What color are the ILT ships now? Is it like a tan?

Why do the ships have the bridge on the front?

Why was there no mention of the Alpena's history?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the package freighter Russia sink while carrying cement for Huron?

Edmund Fitzgerald