Tourism officials pushing Lake Huron history

The Bay City Times covers this story about increasing tourism along the US-23 corridor.

Tourism officials have come up with a new marketing twist for the trip up US-23 along the Lake Huron coastline - a lesson in maritime history. The state's Travel Michigan Web site is adding the US-23 route to its list of suggested ''maritime tours'' for tourists interested in making road trips linked to Great Lakes history.

The new Northeast Michigan tour is scheduled to make its debut Feb. 24 on the state's tourism Web site, according to Deb Pardike, director of the Alpena County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The tour is expected to cover the route between Standish and Mackinaw City, focusing on the 1913 voyage of the steamer J.F. Durston during a tremendous storm on Lake Huron, Pardike said Tuesday.

The Web page will direct travelers to points of interest along the tour and provide links to related Internet sites, such as local chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus.

People can view the current maritime tours at www.travel.michigan.org/drivingtours/.