Great Lakes passenger steamers had to divest themselves of their marine divisions on the lakes. Under this divestiture law, the "Milwaukee Clipper", for instance, was sold by the Anchor Line along with four other railroad-owned company fleets to the newly formed Great Lakes Transit Corporation. Under this flag, the "Clipper" carried passengers along her old route until retired in 1970. Before trains and, later, cars became prevalent, summer vacation areas in more remote areas around the Great Lakes were accessible primarily only by steamer. Northern Michigan's tourist and resort areas began to grow in this manner in the late 1890s. In the late 19th
Fountain of the Great Lakes years earlier and rekindled with the Ferguson bequest. "Fountain of the Great Lakes" was a major career accomplishment for Taft, which propelled him beyond the level of a portraitist. The general opinion of "Fountain of the Great Lakes" was positive with some describing it as a cultural achievement for Taft and Chicago. The detractors conceded that as a figural composition, it was ideal in an Old World way. Critics voiced concern over the sculpture's confusion and decorum. One of the basic problems for the critics was the propriety of the symbolism of artistic and attractive bronze figures posed as bodies