Peninsula

Peninsula


Type:		Wooden Propeller Steamer
Size: 		155 x 22 x 11 ft, 355 gt.
Depth:		10 - 20 ft.
LAT/LON:	47.25'10"/88.17'74"
LORAN:		31826.9/46559.1	

The wooden propeller Peninsula was one of the earliest steam powered vessels lost at Keweenaw. On November 15, 1854 she had just left Eagle River in a strong gale. As she backed out from the dock, she snapped her propeller shaft. Left at the mercy of the waves, she drifted up on the shore about 1/8 of a mile East of Eagle River where the surf took her apart.

The Peninsula had been built in 1849 at Vickers Landing, Michigan (now Marysville, Michigan) by P. Lester and was hauled around the St. Mary's Rapids through the streets of Sault Ste. Marie in the winter of 1853 since the locks had not yet been built. She was run by McKnight's Lake Superior Line ferrying freight and passengers to the wilderness ports. Although no record exists, it seems likely that the Peninsula's machinery and boilers were salvaged since she was very close to Eagle River when lost.

A 1920 account relates that the Peninsula's ribs were still entact just off shore, but little is left at the sight today. Most of the wreck was broken by ice and is buried in the sand. A few pieces of wood remain to mark the sight, but the wreck occasionally is more or less uncovered, especially after storms. For divers interested in visiting the sight, it is accessible from shore after a short walk down the beach from Eagle River. The Peninsula's remains lie just off of Garden City Creek.

References: Keweenaw Shipwrecks by Fred Stonehouse, Julius F. Wolff Jr.'s Lake Superior Shipwrecks, Shipwreck! by David Swayze, Jack Treganowan, Dave Swayze Wrecklist, Inland Seas


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