Posted by Brendon Baillod on November 19, 19100 at 23:06:13:
In Reply to: 18th century wreck posted by Isabelle Levinson on November 19, 19100 at 15:02:13:
Isabelle,
I am quite familiar with the French vessel you cite. The early French records on Lake Superior are quite clear about the existence of this vessel which was built for the French mineral explorer LaRonde. It appears that she passed into the hands of the British and was probably lost in 1763, as the loss of a French vessel is noted on the lake in that year. Unfortunately, her name was not recorded, or at least has not yet been unearthed by historians. I consider it an outside possibility that she could have been the British vessels De Peyster or Mackinac which were on Lake Superior in the mid 1770s and met an unknown fate.
I am very confident that LaRonde's schooners' remains have not been found. The earliest wreck yet located on Superior is the John Jacob Astor (1844) at Copper Harbor. People have searched for the Invincible lost at Whitefish Point (1816), but no searches have been conducted for the earlier British or French vessels because there is no way to even guess at the area of loss. Most of the early British fleet were either run down the St. Mary's Rapids or were wrecked in doing so. Others were destroyed during the War of 1812.
My best guess is that the very early vessels such as LaRonde's schooner (1734) and Alexander Henry's legendary keel boat and barge (1772), were lost by going aground, as were most early Lake Superior wrecks. Even vessels that went aground in the mid 1800s have been reduced to splinters today. I consider it highly unlikely that these very early vessel have any extant remains, and if they did, finding them would be much harder than the proverbial needle in a haystack. Thanks for this most interesting question. I hope it sparks further discussion.
The following table shows all the pre-American vessels on Superior and is taken from one of my upcoming books:
Decked Vessels on Lake Superior in the Pre-American Era
Name Size On Lake Lost
(LaRonde’s Brk.) 25 gt. c. 1735 1763 - Unknown
(Henry’s Sloop & Barge) 40 gt. 1771 Unknown
Sch. DePeyster c. 40 gt. 1778 Unknown
Sch. Mackinac c. 40 gt. 1778 Unknown
Sch. Beaver** c. 40 gt. c. 1785 c. 1792- to lower lakes
Sch. Athabasca 40 gt. 1786 c. 1793 - to lower lakes
Sch. Speedwell c. 40 gt. 1789 c. 1799 - to lower lakes
Sch. Otter 75 gt. 1793 c. 1812 - Wrecked, St. Mary’s Rapids
Sch. Invincible c. 50 gt. 1802 1816 - Wrecked, Whitefish Pt.
Sch. Recovery (I) 90 gt. 1809 1825 - Scrapped, Ft. William
Sch. Perseverance 80 gt. c. 1812 1814 - Wrecked, St. Mary’s Rapids
Sch. Mink 50 gt. c. 1812 1814 - To lwr. Lakes, wrecked Detroit
Sch. Discovery 20-100 gt. c. 1812 c. 1812 - Wrecked, St. Mary’s Rapids
Sch. Fur Trader 40 gt. 1812 1812 - Wrecked, St. Mary’s Rapids
Sch. Axmouth* 30 gt. 1817 Before 1829 - unknown
Sch. Recovery (II) 133 gt. 1823 1828 - To lwr. lakes, wrecked Buffalo
* Vessel portaged overland into Lake Superior
**There is some debate as to whether the Beaver actually made it to the Lake. One account relates an aborted attempt
to pull her up through the St. Mary’s Rapids.
: I am wondering if any of you divers have come across the wreck of a wooden sailing ship which was built on Lake Superior in 1734. It was built during the French Regime to serve the fur trading post La Pionte, at Madeleine Island. No one knows what became of this ship and it may have been one of the earliest sailing ships to ply the great lakes.