Situated along the Mart Dock in downtown Muskegon, the Port City Princess is a small cruise ship favored for coasting into a Lake Michigan sunset and an array of themed cruises, from Picnic Buffet, Blue Grass, July 4th and Big Band to Casino Night, Country Line Dancing, Steak & Blues, and Hawaiian Luau.
The ship also takes passengers back through narrated tours to Muskegon’s heralded past as the nation’s leading single producer of lumber during the mid-19th century: While the Hudson Bay Company made its fortune in furs from the Port City’s forests and Chicago rebuilt itself with Muskegon’s timber after the Great Fire of 1871, no town in America boasted more millionaires during the lumbering era, or one more revered than Charles H. Hackley. Though arriving in the Great Lakes State with just seven dollars to his name, his reported estate was more than $12 million when he died in 1905 — much less impressive than what his substantial donations brought to the city.
“To a certain extent, I agree with Mr. Carnegie,” Hackley once said, “…. that it is a crime to die rich.”
For a schedule of historical cruise tours, visit portcityprincesscruises.com.
— Lisa M. Jensen, Michigan BLUE Magazine.
Facebook Comments