Great Lakes other lakes as "the lower lakes", because they are farther south. Sailors of bulk freighters transferring cargoes from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to ports on Lake Erie or Ontario commonly refer to the latter as the lower lakes and Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior as the upper lakes. This corresponds to thinking of Lakes Erie and Ontario as "down south" and the others as "up north". Vessels sailing north on Lake Michigan are considered "upbound" even though they are sailing toward its effluent current. Lakes Huron and Michigan are sometimes considered a single lake, called
The Great Lakes Group was the first president. The company began full operation on the Great Lakes (except Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River) in 1900, starting its first navigating season with over 150 tugboats. The Company grew rapidly, so much so that in 1913 it was charged with operating a monopoly. Frequent labor unrest during World War II resulted in the U.S. government assuming control of the Company in 1945-46. During the 1950s and 1960s the company installed innovative communication equipment. Business began to decline in the 1960s when the decline of the steel industry and the introduction of new types of