She was built in 1931 for the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company and is the only pre-1940s ship of this type to survive.

She has a relatively shallow draft, determined in part because ships carrying railroad vehicles needed to have a flat deck.

[3] The ship was built in 1930 and launched in 1931 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin to replace SS Milwaukee, which sank with all hands on October 22, 1929, during a gale.

These specialized vessels were capable of carrying up to 34 railroad cars across the often stormy and ice-packed lakes at any time of year.

She is the last unmodified traditional railroad car ferry afloat upon the lakes, still with her triple expansion steam engine, original woodwork and brass fixtures.