A boat with 119 years of stories.
Built in 1902, Columbia combines an array of design, engineering, and aesthetic innovations.
At 207’ in length and 60’ in breadth, the boat was designed to carry 3,200 passengers comfortably on her five decks. Her beautiful interiors were created in collaboration with the painter and designer Louis O. Keil. The boat is adorned with mahogany paneling, etched and leaded glass, gilded moldings, a grand staircase, and an innovative open-air ballroom. Columbia’s massive 1,200-horsepower triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, surrounded by viewing galleries, will become an unforgettable demonstration of early steam technologies for visitors. Laid up and minimally maintained for the past 15 years, the boat has suffered an accelerating decline in her condition. However, unlike many historic vessels, Columbia is a good candidate for restoration. Her modern structure gives her a unique advantage.
Sarah Elizabeth Ray:
The Rosa Parks of SS Columbia
Sarah Elizabeth Ray was a Black woman living in Detroit in the 1940s. In 1945, Ray graduated from a secretarial program and decided, along with her classmates, to celebrate by taking a boat to Boblo Island. She was thrown off SS Columbia because of the color of her skin. Ray promptly called the NAACP and filed a criminal complaint against the company. The case got appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, where they upheld Michigan’s civil rights legislation in favor of Sarah Elizabeth Ray. Ray’s case helped pave the way for the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education. Sarah Elizabeth Ray is the long unrecognized inspiration who preceded Rosa Parks by ten years.