The S.S. CITY OF ALPENA was one of several elegant paddlewheel steamboats operated by the popular Detroit & Cleveland Line out of Detroit. The line dated to 1849 and eventually included 10 large vessels, serving ports all over Lake Erie and Lake Huron. The D & C’s “Coast Line to Mackinac” began operations in 1881 when one of their iron steamers initiated regular service to ports along Michigan’s Lake Huron shore. Their first ship, though popular and successful, was succeeded by the larger and faster steamers CITY OF ALPENA and CITY OF MACKINAC in 1893, designed to meet the transportation needs of Northeast Michigan’s fast-growing lumber towns. Read more…