The Last Voyage of the Whaling Ship Progress

Historically Thinking

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The Last Voyage of the Whaling Ship Progress

Daniel Gifford on the 19th century whaling industry, world's fairs, and memorialization

Historically Thinking

Aug 12, 2020

Originally published on August 12, 2020 (Episode 172)

Introduction

In 1892, the whaling ship Progress, under the command of Captain Daniel W. Gifford, made an unusual voyage—not out to sea for a two-to-three-year whaling expedition, but up the St. Lawrence River and into the Great Lakes. The entire time it was under tow, rather than under sail. Its destination was Chicago and the great Columbian Exposition of 1893.

With me to discuss the last voyage of the Progress, and the decades of experience that led to that voyage, is the great-great-grandson of Captain Gifford—who is also named Daniel Gifford. But instead of commanding ships, this Daniel Gifford is a public historian. His book, The Last Voyage of the Whaling Ship Progress: New Bedford, Chicago, and the Twilight of an Industry, is a microhistory, a community history, the history of an industry, and a reflection on memorialization, memory, and public history.

About the Guest

Daniel Gifford is a public historian, and lecturer at the University of Louisville. He is the author of The Last Voyage of the Whaling Ship Progress: New Bedford, Chicago, and the Twilight of an Industry (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020). His research explores American cultural history, public memory, and the intersections between local histories and broader national narratives.