Drawing on the fine collections of several local and regional institutions (including the Wisconsin State Historical Society and the Milwaukee Public Library), this online archive of historical photographs serves as a visual record of Wisconsin maritime history, set on the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Maritime commerce began during the days of the French and Native American trappers, but gained significant momentum after the conclusion of the War of 1812. Over the past two hundred years, the two lakes have seen a number of passenger vessels and large bulk freighters ply their waters. The site contains hundreds of photographs, and visitors may elect to search the entire collection of keywords, or browse through a list of predefined image collections such as barges, cargo ships, and shipwrecks. Each photograph is returned along with an image record that gives a brief description of the subject, the holding institution, and the place and time the photograph or image was generated or taken.