MANITOWOC, WI – Fans of the S.S. Badger can kick off its new season with a screening of a new film about the beloved Lake Michigan car ferry: “Railroad on the Water: The Legend of the SS Badger.” The film tells the story of the S.S. Badger — the last coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States — and explores the boat’s place in the history of railroads. The Manitowoc film premiere is set for 3 p.m. May 17 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Manitowoc Campus Theater, 705 Viebahn St. That’s two days after the Badger’s season begins on May 15. The screening is timed to begin with the Badger’s daily schedule, giving attendees a chance to see the vessel in action. The Badger is scheduled to arrive in Manitowoc at noon May 17 and leave port at 2 p.m., giving visitors time to witness both before and after the film’s showing.
According to a news release, “Railroad on Water” gives a comprehensive look at the S.S. Badger while placing Manitowoc into the broader story of Great Lakes transportation. For decades, Manitowoc served as the western leg of a vital cross-lake rail and passenger network connecting Wisconsin industries to markets across the Midwest. The film traces car ferry operations from their 1890s origins through their early 20th-century peak and eventual decline, ending with the close of cross-lake rail service in 1990. The ferries, first operated by the Pere Marquette Railway and late the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, allowed railroads to bypass Chicago’s congested yards.
Sailing since 1953, the S.S. Badger was the largest railroad car ferry ever built, capable of carrying up to 34 railcars as part of a seven-boat fleet that crossed Lake Michigan thousands of times each year. The film features rare archival footage, along with interviews with historians, former crew members and maritime experts — bringing both technical achievement and human stories to life.
“This film has been a labor of love over the past three years,” said director and producer Drayton Blackgrove in the news release. “I’m excited to share this story with Manitowoc, a community that has played such an important role in the ship’s history.”
Badger at Kewaunee, WI, in 1989. [Wendell WIlkie]
