ABOUT THIS BOOK

Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships brings the maritime heritage of the Great Lakes to life, using the tragic story of the schooner Rouse Simmons as a porthole into the robust but often forgotten communities that thrived along Lake Michigan from the Civil War to World War I.

Memorialized in songs, poems, fiction, and even a musical, the infamous ship that went down in a Thanksgiving storm while delivering Christmas trees to Chicago has long been shrouded in myth and legend. As a result, the larger story of the captain, crew, and affected communities has often been overlooked. Fred Neuschel delves into this everyday life of camaraderie, drudgery, ambition, and adventure—with tales of the Midwest’s burgeoning immigrant groups and rapid industrialization—to create a true story that is even more fascinating than the celebrated legends.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Fred Neuschel was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and lives with his wife in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School and has worked for thirty years in mental health chaplaincy and counseling. His previous historical work has been published in Inland Seas, Voyageur, Chicago History, and Wisconsin Magazine of History.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1. The Disappearance of the Schooner Rouse Simmons
2. Lake Michigan Short-Haul Sailors
3. The Sailors' School of Hard Knocks
4. Ahnapee, Wisconsin--a Maritime Community
5. The Clique Takes Control
6. Sailors in the Battle for the Harbor
7. Ahnapee's Golden Decade
8. Captain McDonald, Fortune Seeker
9. Captain Armstrong: Working for "the Man"
10. The End of the Maritime Community
11. The Last of the Short-Haul Sailors
12. The Schuenemann Brothers
13. Herman Schuenemann Becomes Captain Santa
14. Lies, Mistakes, and Hoax
15. Unseaworthy
16. A Story to Pass On
Vessels That Engaged in the Christmas Tree Trade on Lake Michigan, 1876---1920
Captians Who Engaged in the Christmas Tree Trade on Lake Michigan
Newspaper Reports of Vessels Used by or on Behalf of August or Herman Schuenemann
Notes
Sources
Acknowledgments
Index \to come\
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