The Blue Water Maiden is perched high on a boulder, welcoming the Lake Huron waters to the St. Clair River. The Maiden was given as a gift to the City of Port Huron by E.W. “Cap” Kiefer, to signify the abundance of water in the Port Huron Area.

In August of 1964, Mr. Kiefer donated the Maiden, designed by his grandson, in a fountain which was placed in what is now known as Kiefer Park, then it was relocated to the front of the Municipal Office Center in 1981. In 2010, the Maiden found a home back on the water’s bank at the north end of the Thomas Edison Parkway. There, she greets the shipping traffic, pleasure boaters and enjoys the abundance of the fresh blue water.

E.W. “Cap” Kiefer graduated from the University of Michigan in 1901 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and naval architecture. He moved to Port Huron in 1903 to work for the Michigan Sulphite Fiber Company, which later became Port Huron Paper Company. He served with the second Michigan Board, U.S. Naval Reserve, during the Spanish-American War. He was a member of the United States Shipping Board and fought in World War I and II.

His nickname, “Cap” is not only the result of his great interest in ships, but also from the fact that he won his Master Mariner License. Mr. Kiefer was the first chairman of the Michigan State Waterways Commission and helped design the Port Sanilac Harbor. He was chairman of the Port Huron Planning Commission and chairman of the Port Huron Maritime Commission and was instrumental in the building of the Port Huron Seaway Terminal, one of the first such facilities to open on the Great Lakes.

The Blue Water Maiden now serves in the capacity that was Mr. Keifer’s original intent when he donated it to the community he was so involved with over his lifetime, the beautiful Blue Water Area.

Location: Just north of the Blue Water Bridges