Fathoms Deep But Not Forgotten: Wisconsin’s Undiscovered Maritime Archeology Sites

Fathoms Deep But Not Forgotten: Wisconsin’s Historic Shipwrecks

Part IV: Milwaukee County 1875-1900

Brendon Baillod

This article is the fourth in a continuing series examining the historical maritime archeology sites in Wisconsin. This installment will review the historical shipwrecks of Milwaukee County in its developing period. By 1875, Milwaukee had become one of the leading port cities of the Lakes and become the center of the grain trade. Large three and four masted schooners pulled up to the grain elevators daily and hundreds of vessels traversed Milwaukee’s waters each day. This period saw the industrialization of the city and the modernization of Milwaukee’s waterfront. It also saw the dominant trade on the Lakes change from wooden sail to giant steel bulk freighters. The following list details all the historic total loss shipwrecks known in Milwaukee County from 1875 to 1900. It is likely that some qualifying wrecks were missed in this listing due to sparse reporting and scant records, but this lists probably comprises the vast majority. A significant number of vessels were also scuttled and abandoned in and outside the harbor during this period without any media reports. Many of these vessels will consequently, not appear in this list, and many hulls and keels litter the bottom off Milwaukee that are difficult to identify because they are not the result of an accident.

Schooner St. Lawrence (22584) – Built 1842 at Clayton, NY by George Barber – 92.8 x 19.8 x 8.0 ft., 110.76 gt., scroll stem – 4/30/1878 – The schooner St. Lawrence was under way with a lumber cargo 25 miles ESE of Milwaukee when a kettle of sealing pitch on her stove spilled, lighting her cabin on fire. The crew launched the yawl, which capsized, drowning Captain Larkin and a passenger. The crew were taken off by the schooner Granada, but the St. Lawrence burned and foundered. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 5/2/1878)

Schooner Swallow (57280) – Built 1860 at Gibraltar, MI by D. Brown – 84.0 x 20.5 x 6.7 ft., 89 gt., 2 masts – 12/31/1878 – According to marine historian Herman Runge, this lumber schooner was driven aground at South Milwaukee with a load of lumber late in the 1878 season. She was a total loss and disappears from the Annual Lists of US Merchant Vessels after 1878. (Runge Card, MVUS)

Schooner Liberty (14672) – Built 1861 at Cottrellville, MI by L. Larned – 81.44 gt., 2 masts – 12/16/1879 – The schooner Liberty became badly iced up and unmanageable off Milwaukee’s South Point. She was driven ashore on the extreme end of the point and was broken in two by a northeast sea the following day. (Chicago Tribune – 12/18/1879)

Schooner Honest John (11180) – Built 1849 at Oak Creek, WI by David Clow – 98 gt., 89.3 x 21.9 x 7.1 ft., 2 masts – 4/2/1880 – The old schooner Honest John was abandoned in the corner of the slip near the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul elevator A. There, she was later joined the schooners Lewis Ludington (14804), Buena Vista (2241) and Elbe (7519), to start the Milwaukee ship boneyard. The remains are thought to have been removed by harbor improvements. (MPL – Runge Card, Hirthe – Schooner Days in Door County)

Scow Schooner Evergreen (8301) – Built 1868 at Holland, MI – 67.75 gt., 71.3 x 20.0 x 6.2 ft. – 4/16/1880 – Bound Muskegon to Racine with lumber, the Evergreen was driven aground in a gale between Milwaukee’s south pier and the Bay View rolling mill docks. Her crew was rescued by bystanders, but the ship went to pieces. (Chicago Inter-Ocean – 4/17/1880)

Schooner Kearsarge (14042) – Built 1865 at Clayton, OH by John Oades – 153.65 gt. – 10/12/1880 – The schooner Kearsarge was bound from Traverse Bay to Chicago with lumber when she fetch up on Racine Reef. The US Lifesaving Service rescued her crew and the schooner was pulled free. However, she capsized when pulled off and was towed to Milwaukee on her beam ends. She fetched up offshore south of Milwaukee and broke up. (Chicago Inter-Ocean 10/20/1880, USLSS Annual Report 1881)

Schooner Barge Thomas A. Scott (24785) – Built 1869 at Buffalo, NY by Hitchcock & Gibson as a steamer – 740 gt., 207.0 x 33.0 x 13.0 ft., 4 masts – 10/29/1880 – The Thomas A. Scott had been built as one of the largest steamers on the Lakes, but was refitted as a giant 4-masted grain barge in 1877. She was at anchor 3 / 4 mile off the harbor entrance with a corn cargo when she was struck by the steamer Avon and sunk in approximately 30 ft of water. Plan to raise her were never carried out and she was salvaged by divers where she lay. She remained a hazard to shipping for years. Her giant hull-bed was located by Jerry Guyer in 2003. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 3/24/1881)

Schooner E.M. Carrington (8104) – Built 1866 at Port Huron, MI by A.S. Stewart – 121.15 gt., 88.0 x 22.4 x 8.4 ft., 2 masts – 11/5/1880 – Bound Muskegon to Milwaukee with lumber, the Carrington became waterlogged and began to sink about 25 miles SE of Milwaukee. Vessels in the area didn’t realize she was in distress and she soon capsized drowning her four crew. Although most sources state she was a total loss, at least one account claims she was towed in and salvaged. She does appear in MVUS until 1882. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 11/20/1880, David Swayze)

Propeller St. Albans (23514) – Built 1868 at Cleveland, OH by Ira Lafrienier – 435.75 gt., 135 x 26 x 11 ft. – 1/30/1881 – Bound Milwaukee to Ludington with 27 passengers and crew, the Northern Transportation Co. steamer St. Albans was about 15 miles NE of Milwaukee when she holed herself below the waterline on an ice cake. She foundered slowly, allowing the passengers and crew to escape in the lifeboats, but the ship foundered in 160 ft of water. Her remains were located in 1976 by Kent Bellrichard and Richard Zaleski and are now a popular dive site. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 1/31/1881)

Schooner J.P. DeCoudres (75530) – Built 1873 at Saugatuck, MI by Thomas Yandis on the hull of the sch. Appleton (1551) – 146.16 gt., 119.5 x 22.8 x 6.6 ft., 3 masts – 6/3/1882 – Bound Charlevoix to Milwaukee with cordwood, the DeCoudres’ steering gear became disabled in heavy seas and the vessel stranded just off the beach and next to the breakwall, 1 mile north of the lifesaving station at the foot of Juneau St. The lifesavers rescued the 7 crew by breeches-buoy and the schooner broke up completely within a few days. (Chicago Inter-Ocean – 6/5/1882, USLSS Annual Report 1883)

Steam Tug Rudolph Wetzel (21944) – Built 1870 at Buffalo, NY by George Notter – 23.25 gt., 56.4 x 14.0 x 6.6 ft. – 10/28/1882 – The tug Rudolph Wetzel was racing the tug Henry S Sill about 3 miles off Oak Creek in competition for a tow when she exploded her boiler. The blast was extremely powerful, killing her 3 crew and completely destroying the Wetzel above deck, but her hull reportedly sank in 7 fathoms. Despite many searches and a well known location, her remains have yet to be identified. (Chicago Inter-Ocean – 10/30/1882)

Schooner Collingwood (4344) – Built 1855 at Buffalo, NY by F.N. Jones – 258.17 gt., 131.8 x 28.4 x 11.1 ft., 2 masts, scroll stem – 11/23/1882 – The Collingwood was bound from St Helena Island in the Straits for Chicago with a load of cedar shingles when she became waterlogged, eventually capsizing about 15 mi NE of Milwaukee and about 15 miles from shore. 3 of hr 8 crew were rescued in the yawl after a harrowing 31 hours adrift. Her hull was initially attributed to a wreck that later proved to be the Tennie & Laura, but at least one account states that her hull later came ashore. (Door County Advocate – 11/30/1882)

Propeller R.G. Peters (110424) – Built 1880 at Milwaukee by Milwaukee Shipyard – 386.04 gt., 175.4 x 31.0 x 10.5 ft. – 12/1/1882 – Bound Chicago to Manistee in a gale with consort schooner A.W. Luckey, the Peters was found to be on fire about 3 AM. She burned so quickly that none of the 14 crew could escape. She reportedly burned to the water’s edge and sank 20-25 miles SE of Milwaukee in deep water. (Chicago Inter-Ocean – 12/4/1882)

Scow Schooner Midge (16643) – Built 1866 at Green Bay, WI by S.C. Fowler – 23.83 gt., 53.0 x 13.6 x 6.0 ft., 2 masts – 5/9/1883 – The little scow Midge was bound from White Lake, MI to Milwaukee with 40 tons of lumber when she dropped her anchors in an attempt to ride out a gale. Her hooks dragged and she stranded about 8 miles south of the harbor entrance. She proved a total loss (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 5/12/1883)

Scow Schooner Sailor Boy (23105) – Built 1866 at Algonac, MI by C.E. Owen – 76.00 gt., 75.0 x 21.0 x 6.7 ft., 2 masts – 5/21/1883 – Bound from Pierport, MI to Milwaukee with lumber, the Sailor Boy was trying to ride out a storm at anchor when her chains parted, casting her upon the beach 2 miles south of the harbor entrance at Bay View. The crew made it ashore with the help of local citizens and the ship went to pieces within days. (USLSS Annual Report - 1883)

Scow Schooner Sea Bird (23390) – Built 1855 at Conneaut, OH by M. Woodworth – 139.84 gt., 99.6 x 23.3 x 6.6 ft., 2 masts – 7/21/1883 – The Sea Bird was bound Muskegon to Chicago with lumber when she capsized in a gale about midlake. Her hull was found floating about 30 miles off Milwaukee with the yawl gone and no sign of the 10 crew and passengers, who all perished. The hull was later seen 20 miles off Milwaukee and is believe to have foundered in deep water somewhere off Milwaukee after three weeks afloat. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 7/25/1883)

Schooner Ashtabula (367) – Built 1852 at Ashtabula, OH by G. Thayer – 95.31 gt., 89.6 x 21.0 x 7.38 ft., 2 masts, scroll stem – 11/11/1883 – Bound Chicago to Escanaba with barreled salt, tar and sundries, the Ashtabula was found to be leaking when about 15 miles north of Milwaukee. She turned about to run for the harbor, but capsized a few miles off North Point. The crew made it into the yawl before the schooner settled to the bottom with reportedly only 4 ft of her topmasts breaking the surface. A diver reportedly visited the site shortly after to assess the possibility of recovering the vessel, but due to her age she was probably left on the bottom. Despite many searches of the area, the Ashtabula’s remains have never been identified. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 11/13/1883)

Scow Toboggan (none) – Built 1886 at Milwaukee by Milwaukee Shipyard – Not enrolled – believe to be about 150 x 30 ft. – Carried a steam hoist for loading and unloading - 7/12/1887 – Described in news accounts as an “Ark,” the Toboggan was a big unregistered flat barge meant to be towed in the harbor. She was overloaded and being towed from Manistee to Milwaukee by the steamer Marshall F. Butters with a cargo of barreled salt and lumber, when she began leaking and capsized, going to the bottom about 15 miles off Milwaukee. Her crew escaped in a yawl. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 7/13/1887)

Scow Schooner Hunter (11301) – Built 1855 at Milan, OH by Smith, Kelly & Lockwood – 131,75 gt., 100.75 x 24.3 x 7.1, 2 masts – 17/12/1887 – The Milwaukee Tug Co’s sand scow Hunter was unloading between the East Water Street and Broadway Bridges when she became unbalanced and capsized, going to the bottom upside-down in 15 ft of water. Her steam gear thrust upward through the bottom of her hull, ending her career. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 7/13/1887)

Schooner Maine (16402) – Built 1852 at Black River, OH by W.B. Linn – 102.8 x 25.3 x 6.7 ft., 151.77 gt., 2 masts, scroll stem - 10/23/1887 – The old schooner Maine was bound from White Lake, MI for Chicago with a cargo of railroad ties when she parted the line from the tug towing her into shelter at Milwaukee harbor. She dragged ashore stern first, 250 yards south of the harbor piers, 150 ft from shore, where the lifesavers took off her 6 crew in a daring rescue. The old schooner quickly broke up and her cargo floated around the Lakes for months, a menace to navigation. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 10/24/1887)

Steambarge Josephine (75763) – Built 1874 at Milwaukee by Allen, McLelland & Co – 99 x 25 x 6 ft., 146 gt., - 4/14/1888 – The barge Josephine was steaming up Whitefish Bay with a cargo of sand under the command of her first mate when she strayed too close to shore and struck a rock, holing her hull and settling to the bottom in the shallows 2 miles north of the North Point Light. Debris off Atwater Beach formerly ascribed to her is actually part of the Appomattox. The Josephine’s remains have yet to be identified. (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 4/17/1888)

Tug A.W. Lawrence (105948) – Built 1880 at Sturgeon Bay, WI by John Gregory – 72 x 16 x 9 ft., 48.41 gt., - 10/30/1888 – The tug A.W. Lawrence was off about 3 miles off North Point awaiting sailing vessels in need of a tow when she exploded her boiler killing 4 of her 6 occupants. The tug J.B. Merrill rescued the survivors but the Lawrence went to the bottom. Jerry Guyer believes he may have located her remains in 2005. (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 11/7/1888)

Schooner Union (25046) – Built 1867 at Sheboygan, WI by Arne Johnson – 55.6 x 16.5 x 6.2 ft., 41.0 gt., 2 masts - 11/5/1888 – The schooner Union capsized and went ashore at Milwaukee in a November storm. Specifics on the exact location have yet to be determined, but the vessel was abandoned as a total loss. (Runge Card, C. Patrick Labadie Collection)

Tug Starke Brothers (15226) – Built 1872 at Buffalo, NY by George Notter – 61.4 x 15.4 x 8.0 ft., 35.0 gt, - 1889 – The harbor tug Starke Brothers was abandoned in 1889 at Milwaukee. Whether she was sunk in the Harbor or scuttled offshore is unknown. (Runge Card)

Tug Dexter (6804) – Built 1873 at Milwaukee by Nathan Brooks – 58.0 x 12.4 x 7.0 ft., 23.67 gt, - 1889 – The harbor tug Dexter was abandoned in 1889 at Milwaukee. Her engine was removed and she was scuttled. Whether she was sunk in the Harbor of offshore is unknown. (Runge Card)

Propeller Monitor (90163) – Built 1870 at Detroit by Campbell & Owen – 92.5 x 23.0 x 7.6 ft., 128.19 gt, - 8/19/1890 – The rabbit steamer Monitor was bound from Pierport, MI to Milwaukee with tan bark when she began leaking and foundered about 20 mi NE of Racine in a fierce NW gale. The crew barely escaped and were rescued by a passing schooner. The Monitor had a single cylinder steam engine of 14x16” and a single tubular steam boiler of 5x12’. (Port Huron Daily Times – 8/20/1890)

Schooner M.C. Springer (91936) – Built 1887 at Red River, WI by A.S. Tibbetts – 32.0 x 11.5 x 4.9 ft., 10.38 gt, - 10/8/1892 – The little schooner M.C. Springer was bound light for Menominee, MI when she struck a sunken hulk off Oak Creek, knocking a hole in her hull. The crew was able to get the Springer into Milwaukee Harbor before she sank, a total loss. (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 8/25/1894)

Schooner Snow Drop (22377) – Built 1853 at Conneaut, OH by J.W. Lent – 125.8 x 24.8 x 7.8 ft.,190.38 gt, - 4/30/1892 – The old schooner Snow Drop was attempting to enter the harbor in a storm with a cargo of cedar posts from Ford River when her rigging became fouled and she was driven on the rocks just off the North Point Lighthouse. After an unsuccessful rescue attempt by the tug Coe, the tug Starke, with lifesavers in tow, rescued the drenched crew from the roof of the schooner’s cabin. In the late 1970s a keel and ribs ascribed to the Snow Drop were located off the old North Point pumping station known as Love Rock. Subsequent efforts to relocate the remains have been unsuccessful. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 5/1/1892)

Scow Schooner Alma (106517) – Built 1887 at Milwaukee by Henry S. Downer – 57.4 x 15.9 x 3.0 ft., 25.10 gt, - 5/18/1892 – Less than a month after the Snow Drop loss, the little gravel scow Alma stranded only a few hundred yards away when she sprang a leak and drifted onto the rocks off North Point. Her crew were rescued by the fishing schooner Prince, but the ship proved total loss. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 5/19/1892)

Propeller Alice E. Wilds (106170) – Built 1883 at Detroit, MI by John Oades – 136.0 x 28.3 x 10.8 ft., 292.86 gt, - 5/28/1892 – The Alice E. Wilds was a small lumber steamer bound from Chicago to Escanaba in dense fog when she was struck by the steamer Douglas about 18 miles off Milwaukee at 11 PM. The Wilds sank in less than 5 minutes but all crew were rescued by the Douglas. The Douglas was eventually found to be at fault. A few deep targets have been found with sonar off Milwaukee in 300+ ft of water that are claimed to be the Wilds. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 10/19/1892)

Schooner Lumberman (14828) – Built 1862 at Blendon’s Landing, MI by Hilyne Litchfield – 126.5 x 23.5 x 7.1 ft., 160 gt, 3 masts - 4/7/1893 – The Lumberman was bound light from Chicago to Kewaunee on her first trip of the season when she was blown down by a squall about 8 mi NW of Wind Point. Captain Orian Vose was pulled down when the ship foundered and barely managed to untangle himself from the rigging. The vessel settled in 65 ft of water and the crew were rescued from the rigging by the steamer Menominee. The wreck was located by Dan Johnson in 1983 and is now a popular dive site. (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 4/12/1893)

Scow Schooner Laurina (15875) – Built 1873 at Chicago, IL – 71.1 x 17.7 x 4.0 ft., 37.59 gt, - 4/20/1893 – The Laurina was bound from Manistee to Racine with lumber when she entered Milwaukee Harbor to shelter from a gale. The pier breakwall had been damaged, allowing heavy seas into the inner harbor, which caused the Laurina to drag her anchor and go ashore at the foot of Knapp St. near Juneau Park. She proved a total loss for Captain Samuel Martin, her owner. (Milwaukee Customs House Wreck Report – 8/1/1893)

Schooner M.J. Cummings (90592) – Built 1874 at Oswego, NY by Goble & McFarland – 137.9 x 26.0 x 11.8 ft., 330.12 gt, - 5/18/1894 – The canaller M.J. Cummings was bound Buffalo to Chicago with coal to pick up a grain cargo in one of the worst storms recorded on Lake Michigan. She arrived off Milwaukee in leaking condition and was driven aground about 1 / 2 mile off the Bay View Rolling Mill dock in 18 ft of water. Her crew took to the rigging, lashing the woman cook to the crosstrees. Several valiant attempts were made to rescue the crew, who one by one, dropped into the Lake. Only 2 of 6 people were finally rescued, the rest, including the cook, froze to death in the rigging. Kimm Stabelfeldt reports seeing the outline of a wreck from the air that matches the location of the Cummings. It has yet to be located. (Milwaukee Sentinel – 5/20/1894)

Scow Saint Ignace (57924) – Built 1882 at Sturgeon Bay, WI – 238 gt, - 11/10/1894 – The unrigged scow Saint Ignace was under tow from Milwaukee to Grand Haven with bricks when she began leaking and foundered about mid-lake off Milwaukee. Crewman Frank Leland was drowned when the scow foundered. (Manitowoc Pilot – 11/15/1894)

Schooner Island City (12084) – Built 1859 at Harsen’s Island, MI by Peter Perry – 80.9x17.9x6.0 ft., 46.55 gt, - 4/8/1894 – The Island City was bound from Ludington to Milwaukee with lumber when she sprang a leak during a heavy NW gale about 14 miles from Milwaukee and foundered. Her captain was the only survivor, drifting ashore unconscious in the yawl near Port Washington. The wreck lies in 135 ft of water and is badly broken for its depth with a good deal of tangled fishnet. It is seldom dived and was located in the 1970s by Kent Bellrichard and John Steele. (Evening Wisconsin – 5/7/1894)

Schooner Cuba (4576) – Built 1856 at Milan, OH by E. Bates – 119.2x24.6x9.6 ft., 190 gt, - 1894 – The old schooner Cuba had been stranded at Kenosha in 1889 and lay in the KK River boneyard until 1894 when she was towed out into the Lake and scuttled. The location of her sinking is unknown but at least one deep schooner hull was reportedly located in 200+ ft of water far off Milwaukee. (HCGL Vessel Database)

Scow #1 (none) – No data – probably an unregistered scow - 9/22/1895 – The unrigged scow #1 went ashore at the foot of Wisconsin St. and was abandoned in the shallows. The scow was a total loss at $2000 but half her lumber cargo was saved. (David Swayze Wreck Database)

Schooner Sumatra (115240) – Built 1874 at Black River, OH by Quelos & Peck – 204.1 x 34.0 x 14.2 ft., 845.34 gt, - 9/30/1896 – The big schooner Sumatra was bound from Chicago to Milwaukee with a load of railroad iron under tow of the steamer B.W. Arnold and had been taking on water for several hours when she began to founder off South Point. The Arnold signaled for a tug but the Sumatra foundered just as it arrived. The tug rescued the cook and the mate and the lifesaving service succeeded in getting the captain ashore, but 4 other crew drowned. The Sumatra went down 1.5 miles SE of the harbor entrance. Her remains are believed to have been located by Jerry Guyer in the 1990s. (USLSS Annual Report - 1897)

Schooner L.W. Perry (15654) – Built 1870 at Port Huron, MI by Fitzgerald – 128 x 26 x 11 ft., 253.92 gt, - 1897 – The old schooner L.W. Perry was reported abandoned in the KK River boneyard along with the schooner Lavinda (14673) in 1897. These, and other abandoned schooners were subsequently removed and were scuttled off the harbor or abandoned along the beach. (C. Patrick Labadie Collection)

Schooner Barbarian (2137) – Built 1855 at Oswego, NY by A. Miller – 136.1 x 25.8 x 10.8 ft., 297.58 gt, - 10/25/1898 – The Barbarian was bound from Bark River, MI to Chicago with Hemlock ties when she was caught in the tremendous storm of 1898. She attempted to anchor 1 / 2 mi NE of the harbor piers when she was dismasted and began to founder. The lifesaving service went to her rescue and with great difficulty succeeded in taking off her 7 crew. She was driven on the breakwall 1 mi NE of the harbor, a total loss. (USLSS Annual Report - 1899)

Tug Leo (140827) – Built 1886 at Chicago, IL – 67.6 x 15.3 x 6.0 ft., 34.98 gt, - 10/12/1898 – The big fishing tug Leo was bound for Milwaukee to have a leak repaired when a gale drove her ashore between St. Francis and South Milwaukee. She was a total loss at $2,500. Her engine was later used in the tug A.C. Tessler, but her boiler was scrapped. (Walter Hirthe Wrecklist)