American Literature of the Sea and Great Lakes

MacHARG, WILLIAM [BRIGGS] (1872-1951). Born in Chicago, William MacHarg was a journalist, editor, and publisher of The American Mercury, as well as a fiction writer. He collaborated with Edwin Balmer (1883-1959) on mystery, romance, and adventure stories, some of which are set in the Chicago and Great Lakes* area. Their best-known novel, The Indian Drum (1917), deals with Chicago shipping empires and has its climax in a great winter storm on Lake Michigan. Corrupt ambition, disguise, madness, a purported Native American legend, and shipwrecks* contribute to this story of betrayal, blackmail, restoration, and atonement. Both authors also wrote short fiction, including stories of the Great Lakes, for newspapers and magazines. [See also AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURE OF THE SEA]

Mary DeJong Obuchowski