National Register of Historic Places Program
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.
Silver Lake (scow-schooner) Shipwreck
Great Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS
Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
NR Reference Number: 13000128
Listed: 03/23/2013
Summary:
Resting in 200 feet ofwater in Lake Michigan seven miles northeast of Sheboygan harbor, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, the mostly intact scow schooner Silver Lake represents an example of one of the least understood vessel classes, the small trading schooner. The Silver Lake had a relatively short 11- year career working in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. Constructed in 1889 by M. L. Johnson shipyard at Little Point Sable, Michigan, the Silver Lake sank in a collision with the Pere Marquette car ferry in a dense fog in 1900. The operation and use of scow schooner was largely undocumented in contemporary times, and today archaeological examples of the scow schooner are few. The Silver Lake is the only known example of a double centerboard scow schooner in Wisconsin waters (and likely all of the Great Lakes), providing an exceptional opportunity for historians and archaeologists to study scow schooner construction and operation. As such, the Silver Lake is eligible under criteria C and D at the state level. The period of significance is 1889 to 1900.
Link to full file: Silver Lake (scow-schooner) Shipwreck
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Last Updated: 06/13/2011 1900 hrs