132-Year-Old Wreck Of Steamer Western Reserve Found In Lake Superior

The wreck of the Western Reserve, a 300-foot steel steamer that sank in 1892, has been found in Lake Superior, about 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point after more than a century.

The discovery was made by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) using Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar aboard their research vessel, David Boyd.

The initial detection happened in late summer 2024, and further investigation using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) confirmed the wreck’s identity.

The ship was found broken in two, with the bow section resting on top of the stern at a depth of around 600 feet.

Built as one of the first all-steel ships on the Great Lakes, the Western Reserve was designed to transport cargo at high speed and was regarded as one of the safest vessels of its time. A newspaper at the time referred to it as “the inland greyhound” due to its impressive speed.

The ship was owned by Captain Peter G. Minch, a wealthy shipping magnate, and was under the command of Captain Albert Myer. In August 1892, Minch invited his wife, two children, sister-in-law, and her daughter on a voyage through the Great Lakes.

Artefacts — Image Credits: Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum/Facebook

The journey was smooth until the ship reached Whitefish Bay, where rough weather forced the crew to drop anchor and wait for better conditions.

When the storm seemed to pass, the Western Reserve resumed its journey into Lake Superior. However, on the night of August 30, 1892, around 9:00 p.m., when the ship encountered a powerful gale. The vessel began to break apart and sank within minutes.

As the Western Reserve went down, the passengers and crew managed to launch two lifeboats. One capsized almost immediately, and many people were lost. The survivors in the second lifeboat rescued two crew members but remained stranded in the rough waters for nearly ten hours.

During the night, a steamship passed close by, but with no flares or lights, the stranded survivors’ cries for help went unheard. By morning, the lifeboat had drifted within one mile of shore, near the Deer Park Life-Saving Station on Lake Superior’s southeastern coastline. The boat overturned in the breaking waves, and all but one of the survivors perished.

The sole survivor, Wheelsman Harry W. Stewart from Algonac, Michigan, lived to tell the story of the tragic sinking.

The GLSHS team had been searching for the Western Reserve for over two years. The society’s Director of Marine Operations, along with his brother and First Mate Dan Ertel, had spent long hours scanning the lakebed.

According to their report, they spotted a small sonar image while scanning an area half a mile wide on each side of their vessel. They estimated a 40-foot height by measuring the shadow of the object.

When they went over the site again, they saw cargo hatches and the ship broken in two, with each section measuring 150 feet long, confirming they had found the Western Reserve.

Reference: shipwreckmuseum

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