History
The schooner Altair was built in 1855 in Buffalo, New York, by Francis Nelson Jones. It was a wooden-hulled schooner with a single deck. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 413.
Throughout its history, the Altair underwent several changes in ownership. It was initially owned in Buffalo and later transferred to Chicago in 1859. In 1860, it was owned by Scranton in Chicago, Illinois, and by 1863, it was owned by Parker & Johnson, also in Chicago.
On November 8, 1864, while bound from Chicago to Buffalo carrying a cargo of grain, the Altair encountered a gale and sought shelter along the Canadian shore of Lake Huron. Unfortunately, the vessel went aground and was wrecked near Big Charity Island in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. The Altair was ultimately abandoned and left to deteriorate.
Reports from that time indicate that all hands aboard the Altair were lost. The vessel’s wreckage was found on the beach near Kincardine, Ontario. The schooner Julia Smith was also driven ashore in the same gale, and other vessels, including the Amelia, A.J. Rich, and American Eagle, suffered significant damage.
The fate of the Altair serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by sailors and vessels navigating the treacherous waters of the Great Lakes during severe storms.
