Update: The National Park Service has since deleted the announcement it made online, calling it a mistake. The Badger's application to become a National Historic Landmark isn't complete, officials said on Friday, Jan. 22. Here are the details.

LUDINGTON, MI - The historic S.S. Badger car ferry has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

The National Park Service made the announcement Thursday afternoon, Jan. 21 in a public post from its verified account on facebook.com.

"Congratulations to our newest National Historic Landmark the S.S. Badger: Lake Michigan Carferry in Ludington, MI, which was designated yesterday!" the park service wrote. "Badger is the last example of a Great Lakes rail/car ferry design, a type that influenced design around the world."



The 410-foot-long car ferry built and launched in 1952 seasonally conducts regularly-scheduled runs between its home in Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis. It is owned and operated by Lake Michigan Carferry.

A spokeswoman for Lake Michigan Carferry said Thursday night the company was waiting to receive more information before commenting on the national landmark designation.

Congressman Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, praised the ship as an economic powerhouse as well as "a vital and historic piece of the Ludington community" in a released statement.

"Nearly five years after Lake Michigan Carferry's initial application, the federal government has finally recognized the Badger for what it is - a National Historic Landmark," Huizenga said. "This is an important victory for the hardworking families, small businesses, and communities that have relied on this Great Lakes car ferry for generations, and I am pleased it will continue to be part of their future."

The Badger is the last coal-fired steamship operating on the Great Lakes.

The 2015 season was the first year in which the Badger operated without dumping coal ash into the lake. The owner installed an ash retention system, reportedly at a cost of $2.4 million, after lengthy negotiations and a legal fight with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Stephen Kloosterman is a reporter for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at sklooste@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

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