Unloading History: Self-Unloaders and the Evolution of Maritime Industrial Landscapes in the Great Lakes

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The development and design of self-unloading vessels in the first decades of the twentieth century was a relatively simple solution to meet the diverse demands of bulk cargo transportation in the Great Lakes. As such, self-unloaders were an important link between modern mechanized shipping and traditional methods of waterborne transport, helping propel the maritime industry into the modern era. The relatively inexpensive and experimental conversion of old wooden vessels, specifically schooner-barges, into self-unloaders was a critical first step in the development of this technology. Although similar in design, distinct differences in construction techniques distinguished converted wooden self-unloaders from those purpose built out of iron and steel. By examining the catalysts of maritime innovation, variations in hull designs and construction, and modifications to unloading machinery this paper demonstrates the role converted wooden self-unloaders played in the development and evolution of maritime industrial commerce throughout the Great Lakes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 315