PAST EVENTS

Chicago River Day
May 13, 2023 9am-12pm

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For the third year in a row, on May 13th, the CMM partnered with Friends of the Chicago River to clean up the shores of Bubbly Creek.

Litter not only hides the beauty of the Earth, but it is detrimental to the health of humans, wildlife and the watershed. Thankfully, Friends of the Chicago River is doing something about it. Last year, FOTCR brought out over 2,000 volunteers for 60 -70 sites cleanups along the river.

The river system provides critical habitats for all sorts of animals from migratory birds to beavers, mink, turtles and over 75 species of fish. Its health is rebounding after years of abuse, but litter remains a stubborn problem.
Every year since 1992, Friends of the Chicago River and amazing volunteers give the Chicago and Calumet Rivers a good spring cleaning on Chicago River Day, part of their effort to create a Litter Free Chicago River.

All Hands on Deck with Author Will Sofrin

On April 22 Will Sofrin gave the story behind his memoir All Hands on Deck with facts from his multiple viewpoints of the voyage of the HMS Rose from the east coast to the west for the production of the film, Master and Commander. As a seasoned sailor, boat builder and craftsman, he narrated video from the voyage, well-illustrated with the construction, repairs and renovations that the tall ship HMS Rose required, before, during and after the delivery voyage.
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Looking back in time, he reexamined his choices leaving high school and then again as 21 year old who steps aboard the tall ship HMS Rose. Sofrin details wooden ship construction and the pursuit of a career in sailing as he advocates for following non-traditional choices. Sixty members were able to take advantage of this free program.
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Copies of his book are at the museum store; reserve your copy, 773-376-1982, member discount applies.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: March
The Ships of John Gregory

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John Gregory, born on March 17, 1822, in Ireland, was a prominent and well-respected architect building schooners and tugs, which operated in the Great Lakes Region beginning in 1865. He built 30 vessels to operate in the Chicago River Harbor and the Great Lakes. Each boat has its own unique history with stories that paint a fascinating picture of the period and the perils and rewards of the men who owned and operated them. This presentation describes several of these narratives.

Our presenter, Terry Gregory is the great, great grandson of John Gregory. He created the Chicagology.com website on March 17, 2003, as a project to learn website building as well as a tribute to the city his family has resided in for 160 years. Over the past 20 years, the site has grown to more than 2,000 pages, which equates to 3.8 million words, and includes over 15,000 images. It would take over 250 hours to read the entire content.  Chicagology has become a trusted source for researchers looking for period articles on the infrastructure of Chicago with a focus on architecture.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: February
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse - Past, Present, and Future

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The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse was constructed in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World in 1492. The lighthouse moved to its current location in 1919. Although having fallen into disrepair in recent years, the lighthouse continues to symbolize Chicago’s history and unique maritime past. A group called Friends of the Chicago Lighthouse has committed to the preservation, restoration and celebration of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse for future generations.

Kurt Lentsch, a long-time Chicago boater and self-proclaimed Chief Dreamer and President of Friends of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, and Edward Torrez, President and Principal of Bauer Latoza Studio, present The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse – Past, Present and Future and discuss their plans to restore this Chicago icon.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: January
First Sailing Vessels on the Great Lakes with Richard Gross 

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Maritime historian Richard Gross identifies and describes the first five decked sailing vessels that the French constructed on the Great Lakes as well as the changing purpose of these vessels throughout their short life span from 1673 and 1689. Gross has been actively involved in researching the history of the explorer Cavelier de La Salle since he was selected to be a member of La Salle Expedition II in 1975. From August 11, 1976 to April 9, 1977 he and 22 other participants, authentically retraced La Salle’s expedition of exploration from Montreal Canada to the mouth of the Mississippi River in celebration of the US Bicentennial. Using period documents, he has spent many years unraveling the myths and confusion surrounding all aspects of La Salle’s activities in the Midwest. Richard has a BA in Biological Sciences from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in Biology from Roosevelt University, Chicago. He taught high school Biology and Chemistry for 20 years.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: December
Forgotten Heroes, The U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes

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From 1874 until 1915 when it became the U.S. Coast Guard, the men of this remarkable organization displayed incredible courage and bravery in rescuing over 55,000 people form potential death on the Great Lakes. Despite personal danger or difficulty, the life-savers invariably accomplished the rescue. Their unofficial motto was, "Regulations say we have to go out, they say nothing about coming back." It was a motto they lived and, in some cases, died by.

Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history, many of them focusing on the Great Lakes and contributed to several others. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales are regional best sellers. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes, won a national publishing award and is the predominant work on the subject. Another book, Haunted Lakes, Great Lakes Maritime Ghost Stores, Superstitions and Sea Serpents, has opened an entirely new genre in Great Lakes study. His book, Final Passage, is the first Great Lakes shipwreck book for children.

​Lee Murdock's Christmas Concert and Holiday Party

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Join us for a holiday concert with renowned maritime folk singer, Lee Murdock, commemorating the turn-of-the-century tradition of carrying Christmas trees to ports on the lower Great Lakes. This was the final cargo of the season during the lumber schooner days, after the last of the logs from the northern forests were hauled south to build the cities of the Midwest. The Rouse Simmons was but one of many ships hauling this cargo, though perhaps the most famous and beloved ship of her day.

The Christmas Tree Ship is a seasonal exhibit featuring a model of the Rouse Simmons on loan from Grant Crowley.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: November
History of Chicago Navigational Aids and Fate of the Harbor Lighthouse

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Historically, Chicago was the greatest port of the Great Lakes. The development of a network of lighthouses and minor navigational aids was critical to the city’s economic development. Changing technology and changing patterns of maritime commerce have resulted in lighthouses being established, decommissioned, and removed from the coast of Chicagoland. This illustrated lecture on November 18, by Chicago history professor Theodore J. Karamanski, PhD, will review the lighthouse history of the Illinois shore of Lake Michigan with a special emphasis on the Chicago Harbor Light and the dilemmas raised by the troubled state of its current preservation. Ted Karamanski, is Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at Loyola University Chicago.

​​Third Friday Lecture Series: October
U.S. Coast Guard's Valerie Van Tine

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Marine Science Technician 1st Class Valerie Van Tine presents the history of the organizations that would eventually combine to form the modern Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard is noted for many accomplishments, but foremost in the public's mind is the service's efforts in helping those "in peril upon the seas." The U.S. Lighthouse Service, for example, maintained lighthouses and sea markers to warn ships from danger. When the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic in 1912, the international shipping community's collective eyes were opened to the immediate necessity of creating regulations dedicated to ensuring the Safety of Lide at Sea (SOLAS).

MST1 Van Tine was born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan. In her 14 years in the Coast Guard, she has been stationed in the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, the Pacific Northwest in Seattle, and most recently on the Atlantic Coast in Charleston, SC. Since returning to the Great Lakes region as a Coast Guard recruiter this summer, she has enjoyed visiting art and science museum in Chicago and spending time on Lakeshore Trail.

Third Friday Lecture Series: August
1522: Magellan's Daring Voyage Created Modern View of Earth

​Five hundred years ago, on September 6, 1522, the battered Victoria carrying 21 starving men, limped into Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.

With that, for the first time in history, people had journeyed around the world. Like the first controlled atomic reaction on December 2, 1942 or the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, these milestones of human achievement warrant our understanding.

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CMMFestival 2022

CMMFestival 2021