Dr. John O Jensen

Miss Lydia Dale died in a shipwreck on Lake Huron while employed to cook on the cargo schooner J.H. Hartzell in 1880. The fragments of Dale’s life and those 400 other women identified in this study reveal a dynamic interplay of economic, technological, and cultural forces associated with the inclusion and exclusion of women from shipboard employment and reveal overlooked intersections between urban and maritime labour systems in the Great Lakes region. Reconstructing and contextualizing Dale’s story sheds light on the experiences and historical significance of thousands of now-forgotten women employed on Great Lakes cargo vessels between 1850 and 1930.

Join little Skipper, a curious puppy in an orange life preserver, as she meets a galaxy of sea dogs from past and present. Inspired by the exhibit Sea Dogs! Great Tails of the Sea at Mystic Seaport, What Is a Sea Dog? combines poetry, history, and fun in a celebration of the many dogs who love the water.
Inspired by the exhibit Sea Dogs! Great Tails of the Sea at Mystic Seaport, What Is a Sea Dog? was written and illustrated by two seafaring storytellers, historian John Jensen and artist/writer Richard J. King. Both have known many real sea dogs. (Publisher's website)

The history of pandemics is a popular topic among some historians in current times because of the Covid-19 pandemic that is still making its way through the populations of many countries. Two of the popular comparisons to the Covid-19 outbreak are the Spanish flu and bubonic plague of 1918-20 and 1346-1353 respectively. The issue with these comparisons is that the three pandemics are not entirely comparable with one another. The Spanish flu pandemic was far more prevalent than Covid-19 and the bubonic plague outbreaks of the early twentieth century were not nearly as rampant (not to mention, Covid-19 is not technically in the "plague" category). By analyzing multi-faceted responses to the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 and the bubonic plague outbreak of 1920 in Pensacola, Florida, it shows that there is no standard response to pandemics only occasionally similar responses that can potentially aid in understanding the current pandemic.

Early nineteenth-century America saw Andrew Jackson's political activity rally supporters all over America in support of white supremacy and westward expansion. Based on such ideas, Americans believed at the time that they contributed to a greater good: God's divine will to spread white Christian civilization from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific. While Jacksonianism spread, so did the push for moral reform led by movements such as The Great Awakening and a widespread belief that Jesus Christ was returning any day. People were preparing
themselves spiritually to 90 up with Jesus into heaven In those last days of judgment. Both of these ideological directions Americans took led to a culture of philanthropy, benevolence, and paternalism. From this culture came a sense of duty to help ·those less fortunate." American citizens paid more attention to the issues of the disabled, and solutions were sought. People like Dorothea Dix led movements to improve opportunities and living conditions for people with mental illnesses. Asylums built In all different parts of the country gave hopes for cures and improvements for this group of people. The early nineteenth century saw much change in the medical and social treatment of the mentally and physically disabled.

"Shipwrecks are junction points of history. In seeking to make sense of the submerged material culture found in shipwrecks, this book explores maritime-related stories that shaped the Midwest and the nation during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In shipwrecks, we find stories of the frontier, the environment, immigration, politics, and the rise of large-scale agriculture, lumbering, and heavy industry. Individually and collectively, the chapters that comprise this book also place the Great Lakes against a broader background of international and national maritime processes that shaped the Upper Midwest during the 19th and early 20th centuries. For those interested in the Wisconsin or Midwestern history, yet unfamiliar with ships and the historical power of water, this book will also provide exciting new perspectives for understanding the past"--Provided by publisher.

Every shipwreck has a story that extends far beyond its tragic end. The dramatic tales of disaster, heroism, and folly become even more compelling when viewed as junction points in history—connecting to stories about the frontier, the environment, immigration, politics, technology, and industry. In Stories from the Wreckage, John Odin Jensen examines a selection of Great Lakes shipwrecks of the wooden age for a deeper dive into this transformative chapter of maritime history. He mines the archeological evidence and historic record to show how their tragic ends fit in with the larger narrative of Midwestern history. Featuring the underwater photography of maritime archeologist Tamara Thomsen, this vibrant volume is a must-have for shipping enthusiasts as well as anyone interested in the power of water to shape history.

Excerpt - Over nine chapters, a preface, and extensive epilogue, the book provides a vivid retelling of two sweeping historical dramas and links them to larger events through the threads of slavery and disease. Chapters one through six describe the formation of the abolitionist Bolama Association in England, their passage to West Africa on the Hankey, and the faltering and ultimately unsuccessful effort to establish a British colony on an island now part of Guinea Bissau. The book follows the Hankey and the spread of yellow fever across the
Atlantic to the Caribbean and finally to Philadelphia, where Smith devotes two chapters to the well-known story of the 1793 Philadelphia epidemic. The epilogue follows the Hankey’s final journey to England, its government-ordered burning, and describes the legacy of the voyage.

Excerpt from Introduction: The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Lake Michigan grain schooner survey was a joint effort between the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), University of
Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee’s Great Lakes WATER Institute, Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, Inc. (GLSRF). The surveys were funded by grants from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Additional equipment, personnel, and logistical support were supplied by other participating organizations. The surveys were organized by the WHS’s State Maritime Preservation and Archaeology (SMPA)
program staff and principally staffed by WUAA, GLSRF, and WHS volunteers. Survey work was conducted between 6 June 2003 and 5 August 2005.