Identification & Site Information

• Name: GEORGE G. HOUGHTON
• Former Names: None reported
• Official Number: 85374
• Date Built and Launched: 1873
• Builder: Wolf & Davidson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Home port: Milwaukee, WI or Detroit, MI
• Final Owner: Unknown
• Vessel : Three-Masted Wooden Schooner
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Power: Sail-powered
• Measurements: Length: 137 ft (41.8 m) Beam: 26 ft (7.9 m) Depth: 12 ft (3.7 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 333 tons
• Net Tonnage: 316 tons
• Primary Cargo: Unknown (at time of loss),( grain, coal, or lumber)

Vessel Type

The GEORGE G. HOUGHTON was a wooden three-masted Schooner, a common cargo sailing vessel used on the Great Lakes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Schooners of this size were primarily used for:

• Transporting lumber, grain, coal, and other bulk cargo
• Navigating smaller ports where steam-powered vessels had difficulty
• Being towed by steamers to increase cargo-hauling efficiency

By the early 20th century, wooden schooners were rapidly being replaced by steamers, making the GEORGE G. HOUGHTON one of the last of its kind operating on the lakes.

History

The GEORGE G. HOUGHTON had a 34-year career, operating primarily as a cargo Schooner.

By the early 1900s, most sailing vessels were being retired or converted to barges, making this ship one of the last active schooners on the lakes before it was lost in 1907.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1873: Built by Wolf & Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the largest shipbuilders in the region.
• September 10, 1907: Sank in a storm near Bar Point, Lake Erie.

Final Disposition

The GEORGE G. HOUGHTON was lost on September 10, 1907, when it opened its seams and sank in a storm north-northwest of Bar Point, southeast of Detroit, Michigan.

The Disaster

• The vessel was caught in a storm on Lake Erie, where strong waves and wind pressure caused the wooden Hull to open its seams.
• Water rushed into the ship, causing it to sink rapidly.
• The entire crew of four escaped safely, making it to shore without loss of life.
• The wreck came to rest in shallow water, partially obstructing the channel near Bar Point.
• Due to its location being a hazard to navigation, the wreck was removed the following year (1908).

Despite operating well into the Steamship era, the GEORGE G. HOUGHTON ended its career in the same way as many wooden schooners—overwhelmed by a storm on the Great Lakes.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. The wreck was removed in 1908 due to its obstruction of the shipping channel near Bar Point, Lake Erie.

Since it was intentionally salvaged, no known remains of the vessel exist today.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported near Bar Point, Lake Erie.

Resources & Links

• Historical Databases:
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Local Archives:
• Detroit Historical Society (Shipwreck and maritime records)
• Cleveland Public Library – Great Lakes Maritime Collection

Conclusion

The GEORGE G. HOUGHTON was one of the last operational wooden schooners on the Great Lakes, surviving into the early 20th century, when steamers had mostly taken over cargo transport. Despite its long and active career, it succumbed to a storm in 1907, sinking near Bar Point in Lake Erie. Its wreck became a navigational hazard, leading to its removal in 1908, making it one of the many lost but forgotten schooners of the Great Lakes.