Capt. E. A. Bouchard, of Mackinac Island, commanded several steamers
around the lakes and islands of Northern Michigan and Green Bay.
Steamers Passaic and Canisteo of the Green Bay line and the Grace
Dormer, which burned in our harbor, where one man was burned and the
captain and his wife had a narrow escape with their lives.
In the early days Capt. E. A. Bouchard sailed a small steamboat called
the "Islander," and oftentimes when we saw the craft coming it looked as
though it might be one of the small islands broke loose from its
moorings floating along the water. And it really seemed the captain
loved his little craft, for his face always wore a pleasant smile when
he greeted us. It mattered not for the "Islander's" beauty, she brought
our mail and many friends, who came to enjoy a summer vacation on our
beautiful island.
In the sixties we had the steamers Galena, Capt. Stelle, master; Queen
of the Lakes, Capt. Lewis Crarey, master; Mayflower, Capt. Woodruff,
master; S. D. Caldwell, Capt. Hunt, master; Fountain City, Capt. Penney,
master; Dean Richmond, Cuyahoga, Norton, and many others. In the year
1883 steamers Lawrence and Champlain made regular trips until replaced
by the newer and larger boats of the Northern Michigan Line.