Identification & Site Information

• Name: ARROW
• Other Names: None reported
• Official Number: 372
• Date Built and Launched: 1857 (or 1855)
• Builder: George Hardison, Erie, Pennsylvania
• Homeport: Chicago, Illinois
• Vessel Type: Wooden Schooner
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Power:
• Number of Masts: Likely 3, as was common for lumber schooners
• Measurements:
• Tonnage (Recorded as Both): 281 tons or 190 tons
• Primary Route: Operated in the lumber trade, transporting timber across the Great Lakes.

Vessel Type

The ARROW was a wooden three-masted Schooner, built to carry bulk cargo, primarily lumber, across the Great Lakes. Schooners like this were essential for the timber industry, transporting lumber from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to growing industrial cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit.

Due to their highly stackable cargo, these ships often sailed with deckloads of lumber, making them top-heavy and vulnerable in storms.

History

The ARROW operated for 12-14 years, primarily hauling lumber before being lost in a storm in 1869.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1857 (or 1855): Built by George Hardison in Erie, Pennsylvania as a Great Lakes Schooner.
• 1857-1869: Operated out of Chicago, primarily transporting lumber.
• November 1869: Destroyed in a storm off Milwaukee and Winnetka.

Final Disposition

The ARROW was lost on November 18, 1869, six miles from Milwaukee, off Winnetka, Illinois, during a violent storm on Lake Michigan.

The Disaster

• The Schooner was fully loaded with lumber when it encountered a severe storm.
• The vessel stranded and was lost.
• All crew members perished, making it one of many tragic shipwrecks during the November storms that regularly struck the Great Lakes.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. The wreck of the ARROW has never been officially located or documented near Milwaukee or Winnetka, Lake Michigan.

Due to its wooden construction and the nature of the wreck, the remains may be scattered or buried beneath shifting sands.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Winnetka, Illinois.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File

Conclusion

The ARROW is one of many schooners lost in Lake Michigan’s unpredictable storms, particularly during November, when strong gales frequently battered Great Lakes Ships.

Its loss with all hands serves as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by 19th-century sailors, who had little protection against sudden, violent weather.

Although its wreck remains undiscovered, the ARROW was part of the vast fleet of schooners that helped build the Midwest, ensuring a steady supply of timber for homes, factories, and railroads.

If you’d like to learn more about lumber schooners, shipwrecks near Milwaukee, or storm-related disasters on Lake Michigan, let me know!