On a fateful Saturday in Lake Superior, tragedy struck the steamer A.A. PARKER, which was en route from Superior to Cleveland with a cargo of iron ore. The ship foundered just 4 miles off Grand Marais. Thankfully, the quick response of the life savers at Grand Marais ensured the safety of the 18 crew members on board.
When the life savers arrived at the scene, they found the vessel in a perilous state, with the deck nearly level with the water and massive waves sweeping over it. The situation worsened when a big wave broke into the engine room, extinguishing the fires. With little time to spare, the crew managed to evacuate the steamer just before it sank bow first into the depths of Lake Superior.
The tugboats WESCOTT and M.E.B.A. came to the rescue, towing the surfboat and yawl ashore along with the crew. The A.A. PARKER, once a proud vessel owned by J.C. Gilchrist and built in 1884, now lay at the bottom of the lake.
According to records, the A.A. PARKER had a history before being known by that name. Originally named KASOTA, she underwent a name change before her tragic fate in 1903. With a gross tonnage of 1,160.84 tons and a net tonnage of 1,274.24 tons, she was a sizable vessel measuring 246.9 feet in length, 38.2 feet in width, and 20.9 feet in depth.
The loss of the A.A. PARKER is a reminder of the dangers and challenges faced by ships navigating the Great Lakes. We honor the memory of this vessel and its brave crew who faced the wrath of Lake Superior on that fateful day in 1903.
