The Midnight Voyage of the SS Badger

Summer for many unofficially concludes on Labor Day. While the calendar places its end a few weeks later, the turning of seasons feels cemented by this holiday weekend. Marking this transition is the SS Badger, the last steam-driven passenger ferry on the Great Lakes. Operating since 1953, the SS Badger offers a unique overnight journey across Lake Michigan, a trip not typically scheduled by ferries.

Setting sail from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the Badger embarks on its final overnight route for the season on Labor Day, ceasing until the following May. During this voyage, passengers find themselves enveloped in darkness, surrounded by the vast, empty expanse of the lake. The absence of visible landmarks and the pitch-black sky creates an experience both disorienting and intriguing.

The SS Badger concludes its season on October 11, apart from these overnight travels. These crossings offer a compelling adventure bridging summer and autumn, with the chill air and lake’s aroma mingling in a memorable escapade. To partake in this, passengers typically drive from Chicago to Manitowoc, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour journey north.

Manitowoc, steeped in nighttime quiet, awakens briefly at the dock, where the SS Badger, bathed in the glow of its own lights, waits. Powered coal, smoke drifts from its stack. This ferry, launched in 1952, was designed to transport rail cars, a critical role it filled year-round until rail congestion relaxed in the 1970s. In 1990, facing decline, it was purchased by Ludington businessman Charles Conrad and transformed into a passenger ferry.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016, the SS Badger now attracts a modest but varied group of overnight travelers. These include meteorite enthusiasts, truck drivers, and day-trippers. The ferry is not crowded, with often only 30 passengers onboard — a fraction of its 600-passenger capacity.

The ferry’s interior is vast and echoes its history, with spaces like a video-game arcade and cafes remaining mostly empty during night voyages. A documentary on the Badger’s history plays in the screening room, highlighting its operational coal furnace. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has ensured environmentally safe disposal of coal waste.

Among the few crew members is Timothy Merrick, who, embracing the tranquil nights, finds contentment in his job. The ferry, despite its silent corridors and empty sections, offers a peculiar charm as passengers stretch out on deck chairs, lulled by the ship’s gentle motion.

The overnight journey serenely concludes with pre-dawn arrival in Ludington, Michigan. The itinerary concludes amidst rain, as passengers disembark, some seeking warmth in nearby all-night diners. Many, including the author, choose to return on the morning ferry, savoring the opportunity to rest after an evocative night afloat.