In 1892, the Ann Arbor Car Ferries shook the transportation world by doing what was then deemed impossible, carrying loaded railroad cars by ship across the 62 miles of open water between Frankfort, Michigan and Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Crossing the lake with loaded freight cars was a treacherous task that presented daily obstacles. With passion, acuity, and remarkable detail, Grant Brown, in this Michigan Notable Book, describes the nearly 100-year crossings, from their beginnings with James Ashley's bold new idea of car ferrying down to the last fight for survival until the Michigan Interstate Rail Company finally closed in 1982. This event, co-sponsored by the Washtenaw County Historical Society, will include a book signing and books will be on sale.