Canadian Presenters at Chicago Maritime Festival February 23, 2013

Discover the working history of the schooner Sligo servicing the construction efforts of the Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) in 1876 and 1883-84, hauling machinery, rails and iron, timber, coal, and food supplies and carrying the first load of bulk grain from Fort William from the first elevator on the Kam River in May of 1885. The sandstone she carried from Vert Island in Nepigon Bay to Chicago in 1883 and 1884 was used in masonry work on many buildings including the original skyscrapers of the “Windy City” such as the Home Insurance Building at the corner of LaSalle and Adams. Presenter Bill Skrepichuk was born in Fort William, Ontario and is currently engaged in animating Great Lakes history by combining the talents of a semi-retired Professional Engineer with a rich knowledge of the Canadian North Shore of Lake Superior. His son and co-presenter, Peter Skrepichuk, is studying Architectural History at the University of Toronto and has a strong knowledge of sandstone construction in Chicago pre-1900.

Official Website: http://www.chicagomaritimefestival.org