James R. Barker
The Great Lakes freighter James R. Barker was built in 1976 for the Interlake Steampship Company. One of the first thousand-footers on the Lakes (the first being the Stewart J. Cort), the James R. Barker is named for the President and Chairman of the Board of Interlake Steamship Company. Another ship, the Kaye E. Barker, is named for his wife and is featured in the full version of this episode.
The St. Marys River channel connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron and is the site of the Soo Locks in the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario. The locks carry ships past the natural rapids of the St. Marys and were constructed in 1837. Visible at the beginning of this video is the Cloverland Electric Hydroelectric Powerhouse, the longest horizontal shaft hydro-electric plant in the world.
Jacob Deon is an independent solo artist. “The Piano Song,” featured in this video, was his first commercially available single. He has since released a full-length album, Something Beautiful.
Links
Interlake Steamship Company: James R. Barker
Boatnerd.com: James R. Barker
Complete History of Cloverland Electric Cooperative & Powerhouse (PDF)