Wooden ships were built in Lorain until about 1910. Boats built on the Black River in the 1800s were used for many different cargoes. Shipping on the Great Lakes was easiest and best way to move goods before railroads and any other passable roads were built later in the century. It is still the most efficient way to transport bulk materials. This is a picture of an early wooden ship being constructed in Lorain. The first settlers of Lorain County, Captain John Day, Captain Jabez Burrel, Captain Conrad Reid, Henry Root and others all had marine backgrounds.