The schooner ANNIE COLEMAN was a wooden vessel that met its fate on July 19, 1879, at the mouth of Hurricane River, approximately 9 miles west of Grand Marais, in Lake Superior. The ship accidentally ran aground on a reef during foggy conditions. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident.
Although the exact details about its specifications, including its build year and tonnage, are not provided, it is known that the vessel was a schooner made of wood. It’s noted that the ship’s crew abandoned the vessel after it ran aground. One source suggests that the crew walked a considerable distance of 70 miles to seek assistance in Marquette, which, while intriguing, may be subject to doubt.
Interestingly, the ship ANNIE COLEMAN does not appear in any records of the Merchant Vessel List of the United States (MVUS) between the years 1869 and 1878. The lack of its appearance in these records suggests that it may have been a lesser-documented vessel, making it more challenging to gather comprehensive information about its history.
The incident involving the ANNIE COLEMAN serves as another example of the challenges that ships faced when navigating the Great Lakes, particularly in conditions of poor visibility such as fog.
