Ludington, Michigan

Ludington is a city located in Mason County, Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County6. Ludington is a harbor located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River.

History

In 1675, Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer, died and was laid to rest here. A memorial and large iron cross mark the approximate location.

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In 1847, Burr Caswell settled near the mouth of the Pere Marquette river and began a small community known as Pere Marquette village. The town was later named after the industrialist James Ludington who owned some of the logging operations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and also lived here. The area boom in the late 1800s was due to these sawmills and also the discovery of salt deposits.

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By 1892, 162 million board feet (382,000 m³) of lumber and 52 million wood shingles had been produced by the Ludington sawmills. With all of this commerce occurring, Ludington became a major great lakes shipping port.

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In 1897, the Pere Marquette Railroad constructed a fleet of ferries to continue the rail cargo across the Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The fleet was also expanded to carry cars and passengers across the lake. By the mid 1950s, Ludington had become the largest car ferry port in the world. Unfortunately, due to disuse and declining industry, this fleet eventually dwindled. Currently only one carferry, the SS Badger, makes regular trips across the lake.

Related Topics:
Pere Marquette Railroad - Manitowoc, Wisconsin

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