The Margaret A. Muir schooner shipwreck off the coast of Algoma. (Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A more than 130-year-old shipwreck submerged in Lake Michigan near the city of Algoma is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Earlier this year, the Margaret A. Muir Shipwreck was added to 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 and 15-foot waves 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.
On May 12, 2024, the Margaret A. Muir site was located during an intentional search conducted by members of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA). The site, which was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society archaeologists and volunteers in 2024, has not been visited by divers outside of the survey.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structures when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime.
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