Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:
"Walk-in-the-Water"

The Wreck of the Walk-In-The-Water

Strange Steamboat Walk-in-the-Water

Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Great Lakes Passenger Steamers

History and Development of Great Lakes Watercraft


Read More About It

"Ships of the Great Lakes: 300 Years of Navigation" by James Barry

"Great Lakes and Great Ships" by John Mitchell

"Paddlewheelers" by Robert Shipley

"Steamboats and Sailors of the Great Lakes" by Mark Thompson


Vocabulary:

steamship


Interesting Fact:

In less than three months after visiting Green Bay, "Walk-in-the-Water" was lost in a storm on Lake Erie.


Study Questions:

  • Why would 200 passengers visit Green Bay in 1821? How large was Green Bay at that time?
  • Before steamships, what type of ship was used for transporting a large number of people on the Great Lakes?
  • When did steamships stop being used on the Great Lakes?


    U.S. historical events that occurred on August 5:

    1864: During the Civil War, Admiral David Farragut gave his famous order, "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"
    1884: The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty is laid.
    1957: The TV program "American Bandstand," hosted by Dick Clark, premiers.



    • August 5

    August 5, 1821: The first steamship on the upper Great Lakes, "Walk-in-the-Water," visited Wisconsin when it arrived in Green Bay from Detroit with 200 passengers.

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