Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Colorado
- Type: Wooden propeller steamer
- Year Built: 1867
- Builder: Buffalo, New York (Mason & Bidwell)
- Dimensions: ~254 ft (77 m) – width & depth not recorded; tonnage unspecified
- Registered Tonnage:
- Depth at Wreck Site: 10.7 m / 35 ft
- Location: Sawtooth Reef, east of Eagle River, Michigan
- Coordinates: 47° 25.46′ N, 88° 18.02′ W
- Original Owners: Unknown
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Colorado was a wooden propeller-driven steamer, approximately 254 ft long, built in 1867 in Buffalo and equipped with one of the earliest compound steeple engines on the Great Lakes.
Description
The wreck lies in 25–35 ft of water, flattened by ice and scattered across Sawtooth Reef, yet much of the machinery remains intact. It sits intermingled with the wreckage of the Fern.
History
The Colorado, a seasoned vessel of over 30 years, was en route from Port Huron to Duluth with a cargo of flour when, on September 19, 1898, she grounded on Sawtooth Reef—near the wreck of the James Pickands. Poor visibility due to heavy smoke from forest fires, combined with possible magnetic anomalies from iron-laden vessels that had lightered nearby, likely contributed to the navigational error leading to her stranding.
Efforts to offload her cargo over three days were underway when a storm struck and broke her apart—destroying the 30-year-old wooden steamer.
Significant Incidents
- Grounding on Sawtooth Reef amid smoky, low-visibility conditions.
- Subsequently broken up by storm and ice.
Final Disposition
Cause of Loss: Grounding on Sawtooth Reef amid smoky, low-visibility conditions; subsequently broken up by storm and ice.
Wreck Condition: Broken, flattened, debris and machinery dispersed over reef; intermingled with Fern wreckage.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The wreck has been documented in local guidebooks and regional shipwreck records, though no modern survey attribution or discovery date is recorded. Reference includes “An Underwater Guide to Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Peninsula” by Mark and Kathy Roberts.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”colorado-1867″ title=”References & Links”]
No specific navigational markers exist for the site. The reef remains hazardous, particularly under poor visibility and during inclement seasons due to forest fire smoke and early storm conditions.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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