A Chicago Christmas-- Part 3: The Christmas Ship

The three-masted schooner Rouse Simmons was a Chicago tradition every December, bringing a cargo of Christmas trees from up north to families across the city.

However, sadly, it sank off Two Rivers, Wisconsin, in a violent Lake Michigan storm  in November 1912.

The ill-fated eneterprise was run by Herman Schuenemann, known affectionately as "Captain Santa," who sold  his trees on the docks near Clark Street bridge.

When the ship left the dock at Thompson, Michigan, eyewitnesses noted that the schooner, packed with over 5,500 Christmas trees, looked like a floating forest.

The schooner's anchor was salvaged and now welcomes visitors at the entrance to the Milwaukee Yacht Club.

--Cooter

Spring Grove Fish Hatchery-- Part 1: A Perfect Location

From the March 21, 2018, Hi-Liter "Former Fish Hatchery" reborn" by Sandra Landen Machaj.

Spring Grove was the home of the very first State of Illinois Fish hatchery in 1914.  A group of 16 men and Thomas McCaferty built eight concrete ponds in the swampy land near Nippersink Creek to be used as a fish hatchery.

This was a perfect site because of the great source of water from a spring located there (which I believe to be the spring that gives Spring Grove its name).

The ponds and associated buildings constructed there became known as the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery and eggs were incubated in the building.  Once hatched, they were moved to one of the ponds to continue growing until they were big enough to survive in the open waterways.

Each fall, the little fish, known as fingerlings, were released into Illinois waterways including rivers, lakes and even Lake Michigan.  By 1967, more than 500,000 fish were produced annually, making it the largest fish hatchery in Illinois.

--Cooter

Missing the Boat May Have Saved George Halas' Life-- Part 1: Was Supposed To Be On the Ill-fated Eastland

From the July 24, 2019, Chicago Tribune "Late arrival for boat ride may have saved Halas' life" by Tim Bannon.

Football's George Halas was supposed to go on the ill-fated SS Eastland on Saturday, July 24, 1915.

But, he was late.

At the time, he was a 20-year-old and had a job with Western Electric and that day was supposed to join his coworkers for a fun day aboard the SS Eastland which would cross the southern end of Lake Michigan for the telephone's picnic in Michigan City, Indiana.

But by the time he reached  the Chicago River dock, the Eastland  was already overturned.

--Cooter

Great Lakes "Holy Grail" Shipwreck Found?

From the Dec. 24, 2014, Fox News" by Rob Quinn.

There are thousands of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, but one of the first full-size ships to sink in them had not yet been found.  The Griffin was built by French explorer Robert de la Salle, and sank in Lake Michigan in 1679.

Divers Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe say they have found the wreck of the Griffin.

They spotted it in 2011 but have waited until now to reveal their discovery.  They say that a carving on the front of the wreck resembles those of 17th century carvings of the fabled griffin creature.

The two actually weren't looking for this ship when they found it.  Instead, they were looking for $2 million in Civil War Confederate gold coins believed to have been in a box car pushed off a ferry to keep it from sinking in the late 1800s.

Another wreck hunter said earlier this year that he is 99.9% sure he has found the remains of the Griffin.

Since 1981, Steve Libert has spent more than $1 million and made more than a thousand dives searching for the Griffin according to the New York Times.

Found It?  --Cooter

Montgomery Ward Preserves Chicago's Lakefront-- Part 1

From the August 10, 2014, Chicago Tribune "Montgomery Ward deserves our gratitude" by Ron Grossman.

On summer days, thousands of people visit and enjoy Chicago's magnificent lake front, but it almost wasn't to be as developers sought the land, but one store owner, businessman had the foresight back in the late 1800s to save it.  That man was Montgomery Ward.

That's right, the Montgomery Ward that those of us who are older remember was a big department store chain.  It was the man who pioneered mail-order retailing.

Four times between 1897 and 1910, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld Ward's contention that Chicago's lakefront should be parkland.  Ward felt that this land should be "forever open, clear and free."

Four years before his death in 1913, Montgomery Ward told the Tribune: "Had I known in 1890 how long it would take me to preserve a park for the people against their will, I doubt if I would have undertaken it.  Perhaps I may yet see the public appreciate my effort.  Bit I doubt it."

They Didn't back Then, But Sure Do Now (If They Can Afford the Parking Meters).  --Cooter

A Christmas Wreath for the Christmas Tree Ship

From the November 25, 2013, Channel 3000 "Coast Guard to lay wreath near sunken Christmas tree ship."

The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinac is loaded with 1220 Christmas trees and then will cruise from its home port of Sheboygan to Chicago and have a ceremony today, December 7th, at Navy Pier to mark the 101st anniversary of the sinking of the Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, which sank in a storm on November 23, 1912.

The wreath will be placed in the water near the shipwreck near Two Rivers and Kewaunee, Wisconsin.

For more on the ship, click on the Christmas Tree Ship label.

A Chicago Tradition. --Cooter

The Car Ferry Milwaukee

I'm still on the subject of that horrible storm season on the Great Lakes and particularly Lake Michigan back in 1929, taking place right when the economy was starting to tank thanks to the GRBs on Wall Street.

The Milwaukee was carrying 27 loaded rail cars between Milwaukee and Grand Haven. All 52 aboard died when it sank October 22, 1929.

The rail cars came loose in the storm and crashed through the sea gate.

Some life boats were launched. One with two bodies aboard was pulled in two days later. Another with bodies washed up near Holland, Michigan.

The wreck was discovered in 1972.

Think I'll Stay on Dry Land. --Cooter

The Freighter Senator and Steamer Wisconsin

The Senator was 410 feet long, 46 foot beam. Built in 1896 at the Detroit Drydock in Wynadotte, Minnesota.

The steamer Marquette plowed into its port side during a heavy fog, sinking it. Ten of 29 aboard died.

It was carrying 240 Nash automobiles.

Bound for Milwaukee, the Senator sank quickly.

It had also sank in the St. Mary's River in 1909.

Of interest, the steamer Wisconsin, which sank two days earlier, was also built at the same place as the Senator. It sank off Kenosha, Wisconsin with 18 of 76 aboard losing their lives.

The Lake Can be a Mighty Dangerous Place. --Cooter

Storms on the Great Lakes: 100 Lives Lost in 52 Days

The year 1929 was a particularly harsh one on Great Lakes shipping between September 9th and October 31st. One hundred lives were lost on four separate sinkings.


SEPTEMBER 9th-- The gravel freighter Andaste sank with 25 deaths.

OCTOBER 22nd-- The car ferry Milwaukee sank with a loss of 52.

OCTOBER 31st-- The freighter Senator sank with loss of 7.

OCTOBER 31st-- Steamer Wisconsin sank with loss of 16.

You hardly ever hear of major ships sinking in the Great Lakes anymore.

Again, Bad Time to Be Afloat. --DaCoot

Mother Nature's Wrath on Lake Michigan

Back on August 27th, I wrote about the Chicago Flashback about the October 30, 1929, Tribune front page about the great stock plunge. They had a reprint of the front page and another headline read "12 Lost, 60 Saved in Lake Wreck."

Shipwrecks have always been of interest to me, but the print was too small.

Fortunately, the Flashback page also had an article on the shipwreck along with two other front pages. The October 29, 1920 headline "Gale and Waves Bring Ruin" and Nov. 1st "Tell Horror of Ship Crash."

October and especially November, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and all, can be stormy on the Great Lakes.

As the financial tempest brewed, so did storms pounding the Great Lakes region. From Oct. 22nd to Oct. 23rd a gale lashed the shore, ripping up parts of Lake Shore Drive, demolishing concrete promenades on North Avenue and destroying lakefront parks and beaches.

Fifty-three mile an hour winds whipped monstrous waves which were even worse because Lake Michigan was at its highest water level since 1886. Oak Street Beach disappeared.

As news of the stock market collapse spread on Oct. 24th, there came reports that 52 people were feared dead when the car ferry Milwaukee sank. On Monday, Oct. 28th, the S.S. Wisconsin sank in heavy seas. Sixteen died and 60 were saved by heroic efforts by the Coast Guard.

On October 31st, a freighter heading for Chicago collided in heavy fog with the freighter Senator, sinking it with seven deaths.

Some Mighty Bad Times to Be Out on the Lake. --Cooter

Hazy Future for the Lady Elgin-- Part 5-- History

The Lady Elgin sank within a half hour. Passengers were pitched into the stormy lake and clung to whatever wreckage they could find. many did not know how to swim and there were not enough lifeboats.

It is estimated that around one hundred made it to shore and survived. Many were helped by witnesses on shore.

In the aftermath of the disaster, lawmakers required better lighting and inspections for ships on the Great Lakes.

The Lady Elgin was 252 feet long, had a 32.6 foot beam and was built in 1851 in Buffalo, New York for $95,000. It was one of the most elegantly appointed ships in service on the Great Lakes.

It was placed on the NRHP in 1999.

Officials from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency have expressed interest in an exhibit, but the cost of an exhibit and conservation would be too much, so, for now, the artifacts on the ship remain deep in lake Michigan's waters.

A Ship I Had Never Heard of Before. --Cooter

Hazy Future for the Lady Elgin-- Part 4-- The History

The History of the Lady Elgin

The sinking of the Lady Elgin has been referred to as the Totanic of the Great Lakes even though most people have never heard of it.

The ship was returning to Milwaukee from a political rally in Chicago on September 8, 1860, when the 252-foot long sidewheel steamer had the lumber schooner Augusta run into it.

On board the Lady Elgin was the Irish Union Guard of Milwaukee, a Democratic organization whose weapons had been confiscated over questions as to whether they would fight for the Union in case of a civil war with the South.

They had gone to Chicago to buy weapons and to support Stephen Douglas who was running against Abraham Lincoln for the presidency.

The waters were stormy and rolling when the collision occurred. A gaping hole was torn into the Lady Elgin while the Augusta disengaged and went on its way without helping the stricken ship.

More to Come. --Cooter

Hazy Future for the Lady Elgin-- Part 3

Continued from September 11th. From the September 9th Chicago Tribune.

September 8th marked the 150th anniversary of the shipwreck of the Lady Elgin, the worst on the Great Lakes with 350 men, women and children losing their lives.


Harry Zych has won a court case and is the owner of the Lady Sterling's relics after he found it in 1989 after a long search. He does not put a price on it, but the court ruled that it has "very little salvage value." He maintains that he was not into it for the money.

Zych had an exhibit of the wreck at the Milwaukee Public Museum in 2008, but there were no relics. He has talked to several other museums about an exhibit were willing to finance it.

What is known is that the wreck is continually picked over by other divers so that it has gotten to the point where no one knows what remains.

It Was the Titanic of the Great Lakes. --DaCoot

Hazy Future for the Wreck and Artifacts of PS Lady Sterling-- Part 2

I'm not sure why Wikipedia listed the Lady Elgin as PS instead of SS.

As important of a shipwreck as the Lady Elgin is, the discoverer and owner of the shipwreck, Harry Zych says he can't find a museum willing to spend the money for preservation of the artifacts and an exhibit.

Now, it comes to light that gold and silver coins, valued at $300 at the time of the sinking, but worth much more now, have been discovered.

The 150th anniversary of the sinking has caused a book to be written, a play and seminars. Valerie van Heest, a shipwreck diver, has led a diving expedition to document the site and has written a book "Lost on the Lady Elgin" and spoke September 9th at the Evanston History Center.

She has experience with exhibits and says one for the ship would be in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, but the cost of conserving the artifacts would be much higher.

During the 1990s, there was a long legal battle in Illinois courts over the ship's rightful owner. The Illinois Supreme Court finally declared Harry Zych the owner.

In the meantime, the site is continually picked over by divers so much of it is already gone.

I have to wonder what shape the artifacts already taken from the wreck are in if they have not been preserved?

More to Come. --Cooter

Hazy Future for the Wreck and Artifacts of the PS Lady Elgin-- Part 1

From the September 9th Chicago Tribune "Hazy future for relic of past" by Robert McCoppin and Wikipedia.

It was the worst ever open-water disaster on Lake Michigan and took place 150 years ago, September 8, 1860, when 350 men, women and children lost their lives when the Lady Elgin sank returning to Milwaukee from Chicago after being rammed by another ship.

The worst-ever loss of life on all of the Great Lakes took place on the Chicago River in Chicago when the SS Eastland capsized July 24, 1915, and 884 died.

Its anchor still stands upright and a long chain is attached to it. The ship's wooden beams stand upright like a whale skeleton and pieces of broken china lie scattered on the lake floor along with a boiler and even a Civil War era rifle.

The site of the wreck is in 60 feet of water, several miles offshore of Highland Park (a suburb north of Chicago)

Some 200 artifacts from the wreck are still in storage, waiting for a museum to take them.

Most people Have never heard of the Lady Elgin. More to Come. --DaCoot

Detroit's Hotel Pontchartrain

The July 28, 2008 Shorpy blog had a circa 1916 photo of Detroit's Cadillac Square and the Hotel Pontchartrain as viewed from City Hall. They also ran a similar picture from 1907. By the 1916 picture, a huge mansard roof had been added. Built in 1907, it was torn down in 1920 to make way for a bank. Wow, only 13 years. Too bad because it was an impressive structure.

There was also a Hotel Pontchartrain in New Orleans. There is currently the Riverside Hotel in Detroit which evidently is sometimes called the Hotel Pontchartrain as well.

The hotel was designed by famed architect George B. Mason.

The new hotel sits on the exact site of the first European settlement in Detroit, called Fort Pontchartrain which later became known as Fort Detroit.

The Hotel Pontchartrain in New Orleans is still there and known for its Mile High Pie. It did suffer some damage during Hurricane Katrina.

Guess I Can't Stay There Anymore. --Cooter

World War II Ship Sunk in Lake Michigan

From the June 19th Chicago Tribune "Cheers rise as ship sinks" by Duan Eldeib.

They pumped 30,000 gallons of water into it and after 3 hours, the M/V Buccaneer sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan in 70 feet of water about ten miles off Burnham Harbor.

It's loss is a boom for Chicago area divers as there are only eleven known shipwrecks off the city and most of those not intact. It also provides an artificial reef for fish.

The ship is 98-feet long and served in World War II although as of yet I haven't found any information about what it did. Perhaps it was on anti-submarine duty. Until recently, it was a cruise ship offering tours, and drinking on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

It was sold at auction three years ago. The total cost for the purchase of the ship and turning it into a dive site came to $20,000 most coming from donations. Lots of approval and many permits were needed from agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Coast Guard and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

I found no information about its construction or launch.

Interesting Story and a Good One for the Divers. --Cooter

World War II Plane Joins Museum Display in Hawaii

A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless Dive Bomber will be unveiled at the Pacific Aviation Museum--Pearl Harbor Museum today.

It is on loan from the National Museum of naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida (a great place to visit if you ever get by there) while another SBD gets restored.

The museum took part in the June 15, 2009 recovery of an SBD-2 Dauntless from the waters of Lake Michigan which I reported on.

Fred L. Turner, former CEO of McDonald's funded the recovery and restoration with a $1 million gift to the project.

The SBD Dauntlesses were a key to the American victory at the June 4, 1942 Battle of Midway, considered to be the turning point of the War in the Pacific.

A dauntless carried a crew of two and was powered by a 1,000 horsepower Cyclone 9 cylinder engine with a top speed of 250 mph.

Always great to Have Relics from the Past. --Cooter

World War II Plane Recovered from Lake Michigan-- Part 2

Back on November 28th, I wrote about this plane. A follow up on it.

Nov. 30th Chicago Tribune.

The plane was in 250 feet of water off shore from Waukegan which is north of Chicago. It was close to where another WW II plane, a Douglas SBD Dauntless was raised last April.

Lt. Walter Elcock crashed it while training to land on a converted aircraft carrier January 5, 1945. He survived and is living in Atlanta. His 36-year-old grandson, Hunter Brawley was on hand to see the plane raised and afterwards sat in the cockpit and said it was quite an experience to sit where his grandfather had been on that fateful day.

Plans call for it to be displayed in a yet to be announced museum.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company is helping to fund the project. Company CEO Andy taylor is honoring his father, Navy pilot Jack Taylor.

This is the sixth naval aircraft carriet plane that had actually participated in combat that has been raised from Lake Michigan. Training planes were usually ones that had already been in action and had been retired from active duty.

A Bit of History, Recovered. --Cooter

World War II Plane to be Recovered

The November 29th Aero News Net reports that plans are in place to raise a World War II F6F-3 Hellcat fighter (serial number #25910) from 250 feet down in Lake Michigan off Chicago on the 30th if the weather holds good.

Pilot Lt.jg Walter B. Elcock was practicing landings on the aircraft carrier USS Sable, a converted Great Lakes passenger liner when his plane went into the drink January 5, 1945 after leaving Glenview Naval Air Station.

The frigid waters of the lake keep the planes very well preserved. During the war, 17,000 naval pilots trained at Glenview, including one Lt.jg George H. W. Bush who also crashed his training plane into Lake Michigan. His plane was raised and restored and is now on display at the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola.

A Bit of Lost History Recovered. --DaCoot