Page 43: of Marine News Magazine (February 2018)

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INLAND PORT DEVELOPMENT “… competition for funding was extremely tough. In fact the grant award for the SS Badger was the only non-rail project approved – a testament to the unique nature of the two docking facilities and the multi-state e? orts that de? ne this collaborative and worthwhile project.” tied up for the last time in November 1990.

The demise of the car ferries was of course devastating to the communities they served and the thousands of pas- sengers who loved them. Things changed for the better just one year later as entrepreneur Charles Conrad committed his resources to reinvent the SS Badger to carry leisure passengers, vehicles and cargo. Today, the Badger makes the daily four-hour, 60 mile round-trip cruise across Lake

The Origins of the SS Badger

The SS Badger was originally constructed as a rail car Michigan from Manitowoc to Ludington from mid-May ferry in 1952 and entered service in 1953. The 410’ ship through mid-October. was speci