Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

SHIPWRECK REPORT – CHICAGO NO. 1

IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION

• Vessel Name: Chicago No. 1
• Type: Wooden Propeller Steamer
• Date of Loss: August 24 1882
• Location: Off North Fox Island, Lake Michigan
• Coordinates (approximate): 45°28′N, 85°56′W
• Depth: Unknown – likely moderate depth surrounding North Fox Island
• Cause of Loss: Fire – burned to the water’s edge
• Crew: All saved
• Wreck Condition: Presumed total loss; hull destroyed by fire, possibly sank or drifted ashore
• Discovered: Not confirmed

VESSEL TYPE DESCRIPTION

The Chicago No. 1 was a wooden-hulled propeller-driven freighter or package steamer, likely built in the mid-19th century to serve the busy Lake Michigan corridor between Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, and the Straits.

Vessels of this type and name pattern were often company-owned line boats (No. 1, No. 2, etc.), suggesting it was part of a fleet. These ships typically ranged from 130 to 180 feet in length, with enclosed freight decks and staterooms above, powered by a single screw propeller and low-pressure steam engine.

HISTORY & INCIDENT SUMMARY

On August 24 (likely 1882), the Chicago No. 1 was underway on Lake Michigan, in the vicinity of North Fox Island, when a fire broke out onboard. The details of the incident are sparse, but the following is recorded:

• The vessel burned completely to the water’s edge, indicating a total structural loss
• All crew survived, suggesting either orderly evacuation or rescue by nearby vessels
• No mention of cargo was made in initial reports; vessel may have been in light trim or general freight service

Fires aboard steamers were common and often devastating, especially if caused by boiler sparks, coal bunker ignition, or galley fires. Wooden superstructures and volatile cargoes often led to rapid loss.

FINAL DISPOSITION

• Vessel: Burned to hull level; presumed sank or drifted post-destruction
• Casualties: None reported – crew saved
• Cargo: Unknown
• Wreck Site: Not located; may lie offshore west or northwest of North Fox Island, submerged and heavily deteriorated

CURRENT WRECK STATUS & NOTES

• No confirmed wreck site of the Chicago No. 1 has been identified
• Potential search area exists in 50–120 ft (15–36 m) depths west and southwest of North Fox Island
• Water clarity in the area supports sonar and photogrammetry efforts, but decades of degradation and possible breakup may hinder identification
• A burned wooden hull might present as a low debris field, possibly buried under lakebed sediment or zebra mussel-covered

REFERENCES & LINKS

• Loss Record Summary:
  *”Aug. 24 – Prop. *Chicago No. 1* burned to the water’s edge off North Fox Island, Lake Michigan. Crew saved.”*
• David Swayze Shipwreck File – Summary entry; further archival search pending
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes / Newspaper Archives – Suggested follow-up in August 1882 Detroit and Chicago maritime papers
• Great Lakes Vessels Archive – Bowling Green State University – Search for fleet vessels named Chicago No. 1 under U.S. registry
• Fox Islands Wreck Reports (Gull Island Shoal, South Fox Shipwrecks) – Cross-reference for unassigned mid-lake wrecks

NOTMARs & ADVISORIES

• No active Notices to Mariners for hazards in the presumed wreck area
• Area is remote, with minimal modern vessel traffic aside from recreational boaters and charter fishing

CONCLUSION

The destruction of Chicago No. 1 by fire adds another unresolved loss to the Fox Islands region, a mid-lake corridor with numerous unsurveyed wrecks. The lack of casualties is a rare positive note in what otherwise would have been a catastrophic financial loss for her owners. She now joins the ranks of “Unlocated Burned Wrecks – Lake Michigan (Upper Basin)” in the Shotline Diving archive.

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