Chicago Christmas Tree Ship event set for early December
Chicago, IL – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will arrive at Navy Pier in Chicago on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 with a deck load of holiday trees for the annual Chicago Christmas Tree Ship Event. That event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021.
The schooner Rouse Simmons is remembered as Lake Michigan’s original “Christmas Tree Ship.” It, and other sailing vessels, arrived in Chicago at the beginning of each holiday season for over 30 years in the early 1900s.
The three-masted Simmons was easily recognized by a Christmas tree tied to its main mast and deck loaded with thousands of Christmas trees destined for Chicago families.
In 2000, the Chicago Christmas Tree Ship Committee was founded to continue the tradition by acquiring and donating holiday trees to deserving inner city families through local service organization. It is dedicated to the betterment of the Christmas season for families and children who would not otherwise be able to experience and enjoy the holiday season with a fresh cut Christmas tree.
As part of the committee’s work, the Chicago boating community organizes an annual reenactment of the Rouse Simmons arrival with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw standing for the schooner. On Saturday, its load of trees will be off-loaded from the ship by its crew and volunteers for distribution by truck throughout the city.
Also on Saturday, there will be a remembrance ceremony for the crew of the Rouse Simmons which was lost during a storm in 1912. The ship was bound for Chicago with a heavy load of Christmas trees when it foundered off Two Rivers, Wis, with the loss of all on board.
Association for Great Lakes Maritime History. Details here: http://www.christmasship.org/
Great Lakes iron ore trade up 32.4 percent in October
Cleveland, OH – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.5 million tons in October, an increase of 32.4 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were above the month’s 5-year average by 7.7 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 42.9 million tons, an increase of 32.7 percent compared to the same point in 2020. Through October iron ore loadings are 4.4 percent above their 5-year average for the January-October timeframe.
Lake Carriers’ Association
