DETROIT (WWJ) - If you missed the one of the last and largest Edwardian-era passenger steamers passing through the Detroit River on Wednesday evening, ship enthusiasts have you covered.
SS Keewatin spent the better part of the last decade in Port McNicoll, Ontario in the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, but earlier this week, the roughly 300-foot vessel began the journey to her final resting place at the Maritime Museum in Kingston, Ontario to the delight of history buffs in Michigan.
Andrea Barrette took to the Facebook group Ship Junkies - Lakes, Locks & Rivers (LL&R) to share photos of the spectacular ship built at the turn of the 20th century.
"The regal Keewatin heading down the Detroit River and under the Ambassador Bridge," Barrette captioned alongside the stunning images. She gave expressed permission to WWJ to post the photos for all to enjoy. "The Detroit skyline is quite the contrast to this grand old dame."
The Keewatin was built in Glasgow, Scotland, making her five years old than the Titanic, and set out on her maiden voyage in September 1907, docking in Quebec.
She spent nearly 60 years carrying passengers on the Great Lakes, often docking at Port McNicoll, Ontario.
Port McNicoll was known as the "Chicago of the North" for some time until trains and ships stopped coming through in 1965 due to the completion of the Trans Canada Highway.
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After coming out of service that same year, the Keewatin permanently docked in the Kalamazoo Harbor in Douglas in 1968, across from the summer resort town of Saugatuck.
The ship became a museum and sat in the harbor for more than 40 years, when it was towed out of the river back to Port McNicoll in June 2012. Her departure that summer was a big event, with large crowds gathering to see the historic ship make its way out of Saugatuck one last time.
The Keewatin is expected to arrive in Kingston sometime this fall. Ship enthusiast can track her journey by searching for the tugs Molly M I or Manitou on BoatNerd.