March 12, 2025
Every shipwreck has its own story, but some are just that much more tragic.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society’s executive director, Bruce Lynn, about the recent discovery of the Western Reserve, which sank 132 years ago and was found along a stretch of Michigan’s Lake Superior, known as Shipwreck Coast.
Why It Matters: After two years of searching, the ship was discovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society using sonar technology off the coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The wreckage shows an intact bell and some paint details still visible. Discovery of the ship helps tell a clearer and deeper story. “It just reinforces how dangerous the Great Lakes can be any time of year,” said Lynn.
History: What began as a summer vacation cruise with family and loved ones ended in complete devastation in August 1892. Millionaire owner and shipping magnate Peter G. Minch invited members of his family onboard the Western Reserve — a 300-foot freighter steel ship. There were 28 people onboard for the trip to Minnesota, but wind and weather created a recipe for disaster in an already dangerous area. The ship broke into two at Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay and sank 600 feet. Crew member and lone survivor, Harry W. Stewart, lived to tell the story of what actually happened on that night and what unfolded after the ship went down.
Read More: Ghost ship found after 132 years in the murky depths of ‘Shipwreck Coast’ (USA TODAY)
Wreck of the Western Reserve, Lost Since 1892. Twenty-Seven Gone, One Survivor (Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum)
Image Credit: Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
by Kelly Dean, Based in Kentucky.
