A Gilded Age industrialist becomes Michigan’s wealthiest resident and helps shape the nation. Join the George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections department as we host the author of E.B. Ward: The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes by Michael Nagle.

“Eber Brock Ward (1811–1875) began his career as a cabin boy on his uncle’s sailing vessels, but when he died in 1875, he was the wealthiest man in Michigan. His innovative business activities involved Ward in the steamboat, railroad, lumber, mining, and iron and steel industries. In 1864, his facility near Detroit became the first in the nation to produce steel using the more efficient Bessemer method.”

Virtual and in-person attendance are available. Register to attend through Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/4t3xynb2.

Michael W. Nagle is a professor of history and political science at West Shore Community College in Scottville, Michigan. He is the author of Justus S. Stearns: Michigan Pine King and Kentucky Coal Baron, 1845–1933 (Wayne State University Press, 2015), which won the Kentucky History Award. He lives in Ludington, Michigan.

For questions or more information contact Special Collections at 989.356.6188  ext 17.