A schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in the late 1800s has been discovered by marine archaeologists. The Margaret A. Muir was found in 50 feet of water off Algoma, Wisconsin, on May 12, as announced by the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association.
The Muir, a three-masted schooner measuring 130 feet, was built in 1872. It was on its way from Bay City, Michigan, to South Chicago, Illinois, carrying a cargo of bulk salt when it sank during a storm on September 30, 1893, near Algoma, then known as Ahnapee.
Captain David Clow and the six crew members managed to reach shore in a lifeboat, but sadly, Clow’s dog was lost with the ship. Clow expressed his sorrow, saying, “I would rather lose any sum of money than to have the brute perish as he did,” according to the association.
The president of the association, Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes shipwreck researcher, led the search for the Muir after narrowing down the search area to about 5 square miles based on historical records. On May 12, during their final pass of the day, searchers accidentally came across the wreck while retrieving their sonar equipment.
Images of the wreckage reveal that the vessel’s deck has collapsed, and its sides have fallen outward.
Related Stories
