Water Taxis

Location: Saugatuck
Date: 1914-1923

George C. Wright moved to Saugatuck in 1909 to work as agent for the Crawford Transportation Co., a line of steamers between Saugatuck and Chicago run by his brother-in-law. When that line failed in the fall of 1912 he stayed on in the area. He began a regular schedule of launches to the beach in 1914, and occasionally to other venues such as Douglas for services at the Catholic Church on Sunday. Every evening one of the boats went to Lake Macatawa to pick up passengers for the Chicago-bound boat from Saugatuck. Wright’s vessels were the Wolverine and the Wm. Cary, which had been specially built for him in Grand Rapids. In 1919 Captain Wright moved his family to Saugatuck, buying property on Lake Street at the foot of Allegan Hill. There, in 1923, he built a 30 x 50 foot dance and refreshment pavilion. It had a rounded roof outlined with lights, like the Big Pavilion down the street, and also served as a waiting room for his beach launches which left from a dock behind the pavilion. The building was later converted into a gas station. Other local water taxi carriers were Charles Bird, Bob Hoy, Charles Greenhalgh, and Henry Shriver.