SS Milwaukee Clipper
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GRANGER
Colleen McMurray of Rockford was sitting at the counter in the Milwaukee Clipper’s soda shop during its Memorial Day party.
“This is where I sat when I crossed the lake with my dad and two of my brothers,” she said. “It was sometime in the ‘60s. I remember it like it was just yesterday.”
At the other end of that counter was Muskegon’s Laura Kuipers, with her husband John. She, too, remembered sailing aboard the Clipper with her family in the late ‘60s.
Her dad had been a crew member. A native of Denmark, he was a merchant marine “and ended up somehow working on the Clipper.”
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GRANGER
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH GRANGER
In the 1950s, when the ship would dock in Muskegon, he’d have a meal there. One place was a bar/restaurant on Western Avenue, where her mom worked. “That’s how they met,” Kuipers said. “I guess the Clipper is responsible for my being here.”
The ship ferried passengers and autos between Muskegon and Milwaukee from 1941 to 1970. McMurray and Kuipers are among West Michigan residents who have “fond memories of going across the lake with their friends or family members,” said the ship’s Brock Johnson. “A lot of people have connections to the Clipper. So many in the community may have taken it, or worked on it, or had family who worked on it. It helps us feel close to the community. It helps us feel close to the citizens. And, as I say, be Muskegon’s flagship.”
The Clipper is now a museum. Kuipers and her husband were aboard with their 9-year-old grandson Mason Cutter and his friend, 10-year-old Hudson Horton. The boys had raced from one end of the ship to the other and both were talking rapidly, and at the same time, about the treasures they’d seen. They headed out for another round of investigating, this time with Mason’s grandparents in tow.
After focusing on the ice cream, Mason said, “There’s a lot of history. It’s 120 years old.”
“We explored the whole ship,” Hudson added. “Right here is the map of where they’d go.”
And on the bridge, “this was (Captain) Robert Priefer’s chair.” Priefer began his time on the Clipper right out of high school. He was its captain when it stopped sailing in 1970. This August, the Clipper hosted a party for Priefer’s 102nd birthday.
The chief steward’s room, a popular step back into the ‘60s, has a pair of men’s shoes, photographs, letters, books, shaving gear. And playing cards, ‘in case he got bored,” Mason said.
Johnson wasn’t much older than the boys when he took a tour in 2016 and fell in love with the Clipper. He’s been a soda jerk, tour guide, webmaster. Now a 20-something, he’s operations manager.
“I love what I do,” he said. “It’s such a great place to be. And I do what I love.”
The ship, built in 1904 as the Juniata, was renovated in 1941 and re-named the Milwaukee Clipper. It began ferrying passengers and vehicles between Muskegon and Milwaukee, with a crossing time of six hours.
Top right: Colleen McMurray sits on the stool at the soda bar where she sat as a child in the 1960s.
Bottom left: A map of the Great Lakes State makes for a nice mural inside the SS Clipper.
Bottom right: Volunteers often wear a T-shirt touting their pride in the Clipper.
Johnson said 1970 was the ship’s best year. But due to Coast Guard changes, “we would have had to have extensive work to stay in service.”
So the Clipper became a museum at Navy Pier in Chicago, and then in Hammond, Indiana. In 1997 it moved to Muskegon, where it welcomes visitors aboard. Tours are offered Thursday-Sunday afternoons through mid-September, when visits begin by appointment.
A Halloween party for all ages is planned for 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. Costumes are encouraged, with prizes awarded.
But throughout October, on Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 25, there will be haunted ship tours starting at 7 p.m., with tours beginning every 30 minutes. There will be seven tours each evening, with a limit of 10 people/tour. It’s the inaugural year for the tours. Cost: $20. Tickets are available online and at the door; online is encouraged.
“A lot of people say the ship is creepy, so we’ll use that to our advantage,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping West Michigan comes down and has a fright.”
Top left: An engine order telegraph, also referred to as a Chadburn, is on the bridge. It sent the pilot’s orders to the engine room to power the vessel at a desired speed.
Top right: A children’s playroom still has dominoes and other game pieces.
Bottom left/right: Some of the crew’s quarters are open to visitors. One has items typical from the time, like a letter from home and shown here, a deck of cards and a pair of shoes.
This National Historic Landmark is a time capsule, restored to its 1970 days. This was a luxury liner with movie theater, live entertainment with dance floor, children’s playroom. The staterooms were air-conditioned.
The Clipper is a 501c(3) organization; donations are tax-deductible. An anonymous donor has agreed to match 2024 donations up to $100,000.
As for McMurray, she was so taken by her May visit to the Clipper that she’s become a volunteer in its gift shop.
SS Milwaukee Clipper
2098 Lakeshore Dr.
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 299-0784
milwaukeeclipper.com
Related Posts
About The Author
