The Margaret A. Muir schooner shipwreck off the coast of Algoma. (Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society)
ALGOMA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A shipwreck submerged in Lake Michigan near the city of Algoma is now listed in the State Register of Historic Places.
The Margaret A. Muir schooner was built in Manitowoc in 1872. The vessel transported grain, lumber, and other bulk cargo to and from Great Lakes ports throughout its career. Despite groundings and collisions, the schooner retained the same ship lines throughout its service history.
In September of 1893, Margaret A. Muir was sailing on Lake Michigan bound for South Chicago with a cargo of salt when a southeast gale struck. The ship battled the storm throughout the night and the next morning, and when the schooner was a few miles off Ahnapee, an enormous wave broke over the deck and sank the vessel. The captain freed a small boat just as the schooner keeled over and sank. The crew made their way three miles through the breakers and to the beach.
Over the next several months, the ship was broken up by wind and wave action and declared a hazard to navigation. In 1894, the vessel was dynamited to flatten the hazard.
By adding the shipwreck to the list, state and federal laws will protect it. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime.
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