The northernmost wreck located near Partridge Point, at coordinates 46° 31.633’N 84° 14.215’W, remains somewhat of a puzzle. The wreck’s dimensions indicate a narrow beam of approximately 24 feet compared to its length of approximately 159 feet, suggesting that it may have originally been built as a sidewheel steamer. One vessel that matches these characteristics and had its final days at Sault Ste. Marie is the W.R. Clinton.
The W.R. Clinton was initially constructed as a sidewheel steamer in 1866 at Newport (now Marine City), Michigan, by David Lester. It measured 160.8 feet in length, 24.7 feet in beam, and 9.7 feet in depth. After serving as a passenger steamer for several years, its machinery was removed, and it was transformed into a three-masted schooner between the 1879 and 1880 shipping seasons. In 1894, the vessel underwent another reconstruction, this time as a lighter barge used for salvage operations of stranded and sunken vessels. At that time, it was owned by the Thompson Towing and Wrecking Company of Port Huron but was stationed in Sault Ste. Marie for operations on the St. Mary’s River. Eventually, like the tug Wales and other lighters in the Soo area, the W.R. Clinton was acquired by the Great Lakes Towing Company. Reports suggest that it was abandoned at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 1905 (although some sources mention 1908). Alternatively, it is mentioned that its hull was used as landfill below the locks.
While there is a potential conflict between the wreck’s location near Partridge Point and the report that the W.R. Clinton ended its days on the Michigan side of the river, it remains plausible that the Clinton could have ended up in that area. Unfortunately, no accounts have been found that definitively identify the wreck as the W.R. Clinton or disprove this possibility. The mystery surrounding the identity of the wreck persists.
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