Film, Motion Picture

Cruise of the South American, Chicago to Detroit, Mackinaw Bridge from Steamer, Blue Water Bridge from steamer, Mackinaw Island, Huron Lightship. Glenn Brugman, East Detroit

Silent color 8mm film containing footage shot during a trip on the Chicago, Duluth, and Georgian Bay Transit Company passenger steamer SOUTH AMERICAN from Chicago past Port Huron, followed by brief home movies.

The film begins with the SOUTH AMERICAN in the Chicago River. The Great Lakes Towing Company Tug JOSEPH H. CALLAN is filmed pulling the ship down the Chicago River, people on the shore, the clocktower of the Wrigley Building in Chicago, and the Quebec and Ontario Transportation Company freighter BLACK RIVER, beneath the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, and into the harbor.

During a sequence presumably shot on Lake Michigan, passengers are shown relaxing in deck chairs. A woman is filmed on deck in the foreground, as the Grays Reef Lighthouse passes in the background. There are also shots of the ship's wake, man gathering rope, a seagull, the ship's sign, a windsock, and a woman sunbathing. There are several views of the Mackinaw Bridge as the ship approaches, then passes beneath it Following some shots of the coast of Mackinaw Island, camera operator films the ship from the shore, and also parts of a horse-drawn carriage ride around the island.

After a cut, the HURON lightship is filmed on duty near Port Huron. The camera captures the view as the SOUTH AMERICAN approaches then passes below the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River. This is followed by footage of the shores along the St. Clair River, including a Bradley Transportation Line freighters, and United States Coast Guard Cutter ACACIA W406, at dock, as well as homes and docks. There's also footage of a tugboat and barge on the river.

The final segment on the film begins with a close-up shot of a branch of flowers positioned on a lawn. A man with a cane and a woman are filmed in a backyard before the rolls ends.

The film is on a blue metal reel housed within a matching blue metal Federal Stores Department canister. A type and handwritten label on the canister's lid provides the title.