Chicago’s Christmas Ship is prepared to visit the Windy City one more, this time carrying some holiday cheer from northern Michigan.
More than a thousand Christmas trees were loaded onto the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw over the weekend by volunteers in order to be distributed to Chicago families in need. It has taken almost a century to establish this tradition.
Originally intended as a tribute to a family that travelled for decades, purchasing trees in northern Michigan for Chicago’s tree market. They were known as the “Christmas Tree Ships” after bringing hundreds of trees to port and returning to port for decades.
August and Herman Schuenemann, two brothers, lost their lives in the course of their business. In 1898, August lost his life when his ship was caught in a storm, and in 1912, Herman’s boat, the Rouse Simmons, capsized.
In 1999, the Coast Guard assumed the mantle left by the Schuenemanns. An yearly trip to Chicago involves the bundles and gathering of 1,200 trees in northern Michigan, which are then loaded onboard the Mackinaw. In the midst of their journey, the crew also makes a stop to perform a wreath ceremony in memory of the crew members who lost their lives on those two ships, the Schuenemanns.
In Chicago, the Mackinaw is welcomed with a lavish reception, and the next day, there is a ceremony to unload and distribute the trees.
On Friday, the Mackinaw is scheduled to arrive in Chicago. On Saturday, the dumping of trees will begin at 8:30 a.m.