Arnold Transit Company is a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

boat company serving

Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

for over 140 years. From 2016 to 2024 Arnold Line's assets including the boats and docks were operated and branded as Star Line Ferry (later Mackinac Island Ferry Company). Since 2024 it has been operated by Hoffman Marine, part of Hoffman Family of Companies.

History

Arnold Transit Company was started in 1878 by George Arnold (1846–1921). Coal-fire steamboats transported passengers and goods for almost 70 years to various

ports and islands. Mrs. Arnold brought in Otto Lang and Prentiss Brown to manage the business. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Arnold Transit Company, now owned by Lang and Brown, started to add modern diesel boats to its fleet. In June 1946, Arnold, which ran from Mackinaw City to Mackinac, merged with Island Transportation Company which ran a St. Ignace to Mackinac Island route. In 1984, a long-standing competitor, the Mackinac Transportation Company, ended operations. In 1987, the first of three catamaran ferries was added to the Arnold Line fleet. In 2010, after decades of ownership, the Brown family announced the sale of Arnold Transit parent company Union Terminal Piers to James Wynn. In 2014, the company suffered financially and the investment group backing Wynn foreclosed. The foreclosure resulted in the public auction of two catamarans. Competitor Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Service purchased one of the Catamarans, MV ''Mackinac Express'', Pictured Rocks Cruises purchased MV ''Island Express'' and was renamed MV ''Pictured Rocks Express'', MV ''Straits Express'', is now in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

being used as a commuter ferry for

Hornblower Cruises Hornblower Cruises is a San Francisco–based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company. In 2021, the company rebranded most of its services as City Cruises or City Experiences. In 2024, the company filed for bankruptcy protection. ...

. Wynn was removed as president and from his position on the board of directors, and operations were taken over by the original investment group out of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. In September 2015, an agreement was reached to ensure the company's continued access between its

dock and Main Street, which had been lost in a land deal engineered by Wynn. In November 2016, competitor Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry announced it would be purchasing the majority of the assets of Arnold Transit Company, including boats, boatyard, its docks and name. The Arnold assets were incorporated into the Star Line fleet for the 2017 season. Star Line renamed itself Mackinac Island Ferry Company in 2022. In September, 2024, Hoffman Marine, part of Hoffman Family of Companies, acquired Mackinac Island Ferry Company and rebranded as Arnold Transit. In 2025, Arnold Transit started offering classic ferry rides to Mackinac Island in the summer, using their older ferries.

Fleet

*Classic Ferries: MV ''Chippewa'', MV ''Huron'', MV ''Ottawa'', MV ''Anna May'' and MV ''Straits of Mackinac II''. *Non-Passenger Freight: MV ''Corsair'', MV ''The Senator'', and MV ''Mackinac Islander''. *Catamaran: MV ''Mackinac Express'' *Hydro-jet: MV ''La Salle'', MV ''Radisson'', MV ''Cadillac'', MV ''Joliet'', and MV ''Marquette II''.

Former fleet

* MV ''Island Express'' (1988-2016) renamed Pictured Rocks Express owned by Pictured Rock Cruises in Munising, Michigan. * MV ''Straits Express'' (1995-2018) owned by

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

References

External links

Official Website
* http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/01/arnold_ferry_adds_luxury_boat.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110733/http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2014-01-16/News/Matt_Stuck_Veronica_Dobrowolski_Take_on_New_Roles_.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110820/http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2014-10-16/News/Isle_Royale_Queen_III_Makes_Island_Run_for_Arnold_.html {{Authority control Ferry companies of Michigan Mackinac Island Transportation in Cheboygan County, Michigan Transportation in Mackinac County, Michigan Companies based in Michigan Transportation companies of the United States

History

Fleet

Former fleet

See also

References

External links