The John Evenson's massive steam boiler. (Photo courtesy of Tamara Thomsen, State Historical Society of Wisconsin)
ALGOMA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A 130-year-old Lake Michigan shipwreck discovered last year off the coast of Algoma has been added to the State Register of Historic Places.
The John Evenson was discovered by historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck on Sept. 13, 2024, making it the third significant shipwreck discovered by pair in the last three years.
The Evenson was a 54-foot tugboat built in 1884 in Milwaukee as a harbor and towing tug. It was lost in June of 1895 while assisting a big steamer entering the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.
Divers began looking for the ship in the 1980’s without success. Some reports stated the ship was lost in 300 feet of water while others reported 50 feet.
The vessel rests on its port side. Its hull bed is present along with major pieces of its machinery including boiler, steam engine, propeller and rudder. Additional hull components may remain in the area and beneath the sand. As one of only a few examples of a harbor tug in Wisconsin waters, John Evenson provides historians and archaeologists the chance to study wooden tugboat construction.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. 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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