The S.S. Christopher Columbus was a whaleback steamer that was specifically built to ferry passengers from downtown Chicago to the grounds of the 1893 Columbian Exposition on the shore of Lake Michigan. The exposition was a celebration of the 400-year anniversary of Columbus discovering America.

Whaleback ships were being built in Superior, Wisconsin, but the S.S. Christopher Columbus was the only passenger whaleback ever built. Learn about this unique vessel’s first years of an illustrious 40-year career on Lake Michigan, which began with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago that showcased the technological advances of the 1890s.