S.S. Badger (carferry)
Passenger and vehicle ferry in Ludington, Michigan. Added to the National Register in 2009, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
SS Badger is a passenger and vehicle ferry in the United States that has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. Currently, the ship shuttles between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a distance of 62 miles (100 km), connecting U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) between those two cities. She is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes, and was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 2016.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | 700 S. William St., Ludington, MI |
| County | Mason County |
| Listed | Dec 11, 2009 |
| Listed for | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | US Coast Guard Official Number 265156 |
| Reference number | 09000679 |
| Type of place | ferry, train ferry |
| Designations | Michigan State Historic Site |
| Contributing resources | 1 structure |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 700 S. William St., Ludington, MI |
| Website | ssbadger.com ↗ |
| Coordinates | 43.9489° N, 86.4514° W · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 71 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Lake Michigan At Manistee 12 miles · Marzinski Horse Campground 24 miles · Bowman Bridge 26 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Mason County
Local history books for Mason County
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Michigan travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was S.S. Badger (carferry) listed on the National Register?
Dec 11, 2009. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit S.S. Badger (carferry)?
Probably. Places of this type are usually open to the public, but the record lists no hours; the official website will have them.
Source: Official website
Where is S.S. Badger (carferry)?
700 S. William St., Ludington, Mason County, Michigan. The nearest national park unit is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 71 miles away.
Where is the nomination form for S.S. Badger (carferry)?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near S.S. Badger (carferry)?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Lake Michigan At Manistee, 12 miles away. Marzinski Horse Campground is 24 miles away, and Bowman Bridge is 26 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at S.S. Badger (carferry)?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 09000679. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.