Journey into the heart of Fishtown, Michigan—a historic commercial fishing village on the shores of Lake Michigan that continues to anchor Great Lakes maritime culture. This episode dives into the deep roots of the region’s fishing community, the founding of the Fishtown Preservation Society, and the resilience required to protect a working waterfront threatened by rising waters and time. Hear how history, trauma, and community care intertwine in a place where fishing isn’t just a livelihood, it’s a living story.
Episode Guide
- 00:00 Intro to In Hot Water, Great Lakes Edition
- 02:06 Meet Amanda Holmes, executive director of the Fishtown Preservation Society, which oversees the historic site and working waterfront Fishtown
- 03:54 The history of the region and the fishery, which has been documented since the 1850s
- 05:32 Families settled in Fishtown, establishing a community around fishing the local waters
- 09:25 The birth of Fishtown Preservation Society arose out of point of crisis and its evolution
- 21:48 The rising waters of Lake Michigan, seiches in particular, threaten the historic shanties along Fishtown’s iconic waterfront, leading to a massive restoration effort
- 33:50 In episode four of this series, we learned about trauma and trauma-informed solutions design, we relate this to instances of trauma running through Amanda’s historical account of Fishtown and the fishing community that sustains it
- 41:33 The importance of true community and supporting the people around you
- 43:44 The importance of meaningful partnerships in preserving the legacy of Fishtown
- 50:58 What can visitors to Fishtown expect to see and experience?
- 41:14 Final words: Our future is uncertain, but open with possibilities. If we can hold open that space of uncertainty and invent into it, we have a really good chance.
Resources
-
-
Recommend this series to anyone who enjoys seafood and is curious about how climate change is affecting our seafood-producing regions.
-
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.