GRAY OAK

The Gray Oak was a schooner-barge built in 1885 at Bayfield, Wisconsin. It had the official number 85916. The vessel was constructed by F. D. Maynard and originally owned by R. D. Pike of Bayfield.

As a schooner-barge, the Gray Oak had a wooden hull with a single deck. It was equipped with two masts. The dimensions of the vessel were 133.7 feet in length, 31.7 feet in beam, and 9.01 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 290.97 and a net tonnage of 277.25. The Gray Oak had a capacity to carry 500,000 feet of cargo.

The primary purpose of the Gray Oak was to transport sandstone from the Apostle Islands to Ashland and Bayfield, Wisconsin. Throughout its history, it was towed by various vessels, including the ONIEDA with the R.N. RICE and R.J. CARNEY in 1887, the MAY DORR with the HALSTED carrying railroad ties in 1888, and the ROBERT HOLLAND with the S.M. STEPHENSON and ANNIE SHERWOOD in 1889. In 1892, ownership of the Gray Oak transferred to J. V. Lutts of Port Clinton, Ohio, and it was towed by the YOSEMITE with the barge RYAN and later by the LELAND.

In 1893, the Gray Oak was purchased by Daniel H. Wilcox of Buffalo and utilized by the Western Transit Co. in Duluth. It was converted into a lighter and no longer had masts. In 1894, the vessel was involved in carrying flour from the Imperial Mill in St. Paul to Duluth.

The final fate of the Gray Oak came in 1911 when it was scuttled in Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, at a depth of 100 feet near the Welcome Islands. In 1912, the vessel was sold to Canadian interests.