Schooner Tuscola (1851–1878)

Identification & Site Information

• Name: Tuscola
• Other Names: None
• Official Number: 24225
• Vessel Type at Loss: Wooden Schooner
• Builder: F. N. Jones, Buffalo, New York
• Year Built & Launched: 1851
• Specifications: Length: 128 ft (39 m) Beam: 23 ft (7 m) Depth: 8 ft (2.4 m)
• Tonnage: 179 GT
• Date Lost: June 21, 1878
• Location of Loss: Off Highland Park or Glencoe, Illinois, Lake Michigan
• Cause of Loss: Storm, sprang a leak
• Loss of Life: None
• Cargo at Time of Loss: Cobblestones

Vessel Description & Service History

The Tuscola was a wooden-hulled Schooner, built in 1851 in Buffalo, New York, by F. N. Jones. She served as a Great Lakes cargo vessel for nearly three decades, primarily transporting bulk goods such as stone, lumber, grain, and coal between ports in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

She was Rebuilt twice during her career:  1859: Major repairs in Buffalo, New York. 1864: Another Rebuild in Benton Harbor, Michigan, likely to extend her service life.

By the late 1870s, Tuscola was aging but still actively transporting goods, primarily cobblestones, which were commonly used for paving streets in cities like Chicago.

Final Voyage & Loss

On June 21, 1878, the Tuscola was sailing from Traverse Bay, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, loaded with cobblestones when she encountered a gale between Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin. The ship began leaking, and the crew struggled to keep up with the incoming water using pumps. By the time she reached just north of Chicago (off Highland Park or Glencoe, Illinois), the water had gained too far on her pumps, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The crew was rescued by the Schooner Nassau and the Goodrich Steamer Chicago. Tuscola eventually Foundered and was lost beneath the waves.

Final Disposition & Salvage

• Declared a Total Loss after sinking.
• No known salvage efforts recorded.
• No confirmed modern discovery of wreckage.

Located By & Date Found

 No confirmed wreck site identified. Possible remains may still exist off the Illinois coast, north of Chicago, but no formal surveys have identified the wreck.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Lake Michigan’s western shoreline, near Chicago, has seen many shipwrecks, especially due to storms and high traffic in the 19th century. The Tuscola is one of many schooners lost in this area, highlighting the dangers of wooden cargo vessels in heavy weather.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes: http://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca
• Great Lakes Maritime Database (GLMD): https://greatlakeships.org
• David Swayze Shipwreck File: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org
• Great Lakes Vessel Database (BGSU): https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/vessels

Conclusion

The Tuscola was a long-serving Great Lakes Schooner, operating for 27 years before succumbing to a storm north of Chicago in 1878. Despite the crew’s efforts, the ship took on too much water and Foundered, though all hands were rescued. Though her wreck has not been located, she remains one of many lost schooners that once carried the building materials that shaped Chicago and other Great Lakes cities.