I love the photo & write-up, Greg.
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This ship was once famous in Chicago for sailing up and down the Chicago River and wreaking havoc on bridges and traffic when it passed through. There's even an award winning short film called 'Medusa Challenger' where the lifting of the Lake Shore Drive bridge for the ship is a plot point. It was once the oldest operating ship in the Great Lakes and one of the oldest in the world. Here's a page with more information and pictures:
http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/stmaryschallenger.htm
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We used to have boat themed slide shows and pizza onboard when she would lay-up for the winter in Milwaukee.
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Great shot. I remember being called to work that bridge when clerking on CNW in the late 1970's on the late night shift. It was almost surreal. It was not worked from the shore in those days. One unusual piece of equipment kept in the bridge was a rifle. It was a somewhat isolated part of town, before semi-gentrification, and I suppose the idea was you never knew what kind of "river rat" might pay you a visit at 3:00 AM.
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