Steamboats at Detroit or Port Huron, Michigan

Numerous vessels operated between Detroit, Port Huron, and Toledo as well as other river and lake points in the late 1800s. The Darius Cole, operated by the Cole Line, was named after the company's sole proprietor. The steamboat could transport 1,500 passengers at a time between Detroit and Port Huron. The Idlewild of Star Line had a capacity of only 500, running between Detroit and Toledo every 24 hours. Eventually these companies consolidated as Star-Cole Lines in 1887. This busy scene shows both boats in an unidentified port.