Image via Wisconsin Historical Society (W012AZK)
Lady Elgin Docked
Lithograph from Frank Leslie's 'Illustrated News' of the sidewheel passenger, Lady Elgin, at her wharf in Chicago, Illinois in 1860.
On a warm evening in 1860, the Lady Elgin’s paddlewheels gently pushed her from Chicago’s passenger dock proceeded north. The boat was a pleasant and comfortable way for politicians, families on holiday, soldiers and prominent businessmen to travel up and down Lake Michigan. Two roomy decks, a promenade where couples lingered, and saloons with the fragrant scent of bay rum, fine cigars, and brandy.
Passengers on September 8 comprised delegates from a Republican rally, tourists and groups of college students. Conversations, talk of politics and music from a string quartet floated on a light breeze. Captain John “Jack” Wilson’s officers were monitoring the barometer and watching the horizon. They were, after all, on Lake Michigan, a place where the waters can change without a lot of warning.
Survivors of Lady Elgin’s destruction in 1860 later said torrents of rain extinguished dozens of topside lamps and gale force winds snapped the wooden mast like a toothpick.
Out of the Darkness
And then out of the darkness and pouring rain, the Augusta, a heavy three-masted working ship, smashed into the Lady Elgin’s starboard side. The collision ripped a huge gash in the wooden slats. Water rushed in unchecked and ripped the iron steam pumps from their clamps and footings. Furnace doors were flung open and the engines sputtered before they stopped altogether. Boxes of emergency flares were submerged in the flood. Men on the upper deck lowered canvas life preservers with numb and freezing hands while women held small children on their shoulders. All wore clothing of people unprepared for immersion in cold lake water. In less than an hour the luxurious sidewheeler slipped silently beneath the lake’s surface.
Dozens of bodies and fragments of the ship washed ashore along the North Shore between Winnetka and Highwood. Contemporary newspapers and 20th century historians agreed that between 300 and 400 people died, and fewer than 100 survived. Many of the dead were Milwaukee residents.
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Public outrage was fueled by ignorant, uneducated rabble-rousers who knew nothing of maritime regulations and procedures. How could such a collision happen in the dark of a storm? Were proper lights and lookouts maintained? Did speed or recklessness play a part?
The shipwreck’s story reached a new generation through the gritty work of professional salvagers. In 1989 diver Harry Zych located scattered remains of the Lady Elgin in just 60 feet of water north of Chicago. A century of cold water had preserved timber and iron fastenings. But everyday items such as jewelry, coins, and dinnerware rested alongside myriad human bones. The Zych discovery of became a legal, ethical and public discussion about the scientific value of proper recovery and the moral obligation to the dead and their descendants. The Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 already emphasized archaeological stewardship over commercial salvage.
Many objects recovered from the Lady Elgin were placed in museums or state care. Human remains were documented in situ to preserve context and show respect.
The Lady Elgin’s story has endured due to gravestones, public memorials, and museum exhibits. Historians have reconstructed passenger lists and timelines from newspapers, cemetery records and family lore. Divers and archaeologists have mapped the debris field and documented how the wreck spread across the lakebed. The occasional fragment of brass, a child’s shoe or a bit of ornamented wood still wash ashore.
Other 19th century shipwrecks near Milwaukee
- Sebastopol — 1855 (Milwaukee / St. Francis area)
- Northerner — 1868 (capsized while being towed near Port Ulao)
- Lac La Belle — 1872 (Bound from Milwaukee to Grand Haven, MI)
- Merchant — 1875 (Racine Reef)
- Tanner — 1875 (Milwaukee harbor entrance)
- Whirlwind — 1876 (driven ashore at Racine)
- Grace A. Channon — 1877 (sank near Oak Creek)
- Arab — (1883 in Kenosha / Racine area)
- L.R. Doty — 1898 (sank near Oak Creek)
