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  • Fish Tugs (Page 2)

Fishtown’s Tugs

A (Very) Brief History

By the late 1800s Leland was home to a small fleet of fishing vessels. These early fishermen set their nets offshore in open wood mackinaw boats rigged with sails. By 1905 the fishermen began to replace the sails in their mackinaw boats with gas-powered engines. The new engines and the addition of protective cabins enabled the fishermen to fish farther from port, in more inclement weather, and for more of the year.

fish tug gallery

Click here to see our photo gallery

Diesel eventually replaced gas and new machinery was added to newly built tugs that made the fishermen increasingly efficient at catching fish, but wood tugs still reigned in Fishtown until the late 1950s. In 1958 the Steffens and Stallman families dedicated two new fish tugs in Leland. With these boats, the Janice Sue and the Mary Ann, commercial fishing in Leland left the world of wood boats and entered the world of steel, with hulls specially designed for the rigors of this part of the Great Lakes. Janice Sue has served in Leland ever since. Trap net fishing began in Leland in 1982, with the launch of the hand-crafted steel tug, the Joy.

 

A Gallery of Fishtown Tugs

A gallery of historical photos of Fishtown’s fishing tugs.

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Goal Reached: Tugs Fishing in 2009!

We are thrilled to share with you that both the Joy and the Janice Sue are now home and docked in Fishtown! In fact last week the Joy set to the waters for a trial run as well as to set the nets.

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Fishtown Tugs Need Your Support

Thanks to all those who have helped in the past and to all those who are continuing to keep her working.

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Recent Updates

  • 2018 Fishtown 5K Photos

    July 24, 2018
  • Friends of Fishtown 5K – Live Tracking and Results

    July 6, 2017
  • Joy of Leland

    December 29, 2016
  • My Name Is Grace…

    July 7, 2016

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How to Reach Us

Fishtown Preservation
Office location and hours
203 E. Cedar Street
P.O. Box 721
Leland, MI 49654M-F 9:00-4:00 (year-round)
(231) 256-8878
(231) 256-2517 (fax)
[email protected]
Facebook.com/FishtownMI

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