Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Free Trade
- Type: Ferry
- Year Built: 1884
- Builder: Duluth, Minnesota
- Dimensions: Length 65 ft 7 in (20.0 m); Beam 13 ft 4 in (4.07 m); Depth 4 ft 7 in (1.40 m)
- Registered Tonnage: Gross 37.21 ft; Net 32.04 ft
- Location: Hughitt Avenue slip, Superior, Wisconsin
- Official Number: 120588
- Original Owners: 1884–J.J. Hibbard (Duluth); 1888–C.W. Wheeler & E.R. Short; 1889–J.J. & C.D. Hibbard (repaired); 1890–John Hanson (West Superior)
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A single-decked wooden sidewheel ferry serving the Duluth–Superior route across the connecting canal and harbor.
Description
A small ferry designed for cross-harbour service, the Free Trade featured traditional sidewheel propulsion typical of late-19th-century inland ferries. Its modest dimensions catered to passenger and light cargo transit between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.
History
The Free Trade was enrolled on 28 July 1884, beginning service later that year between Duluth and Superior, occasionally operating alongside vessels like Mary Martin and Hattie Lloyd. Ownership evolved through several hands—principally the Hibbard family, and briefly Wheeler & Short. In May 1890, it grounded on mudbanks near Rices Point, Duluth, but returned to service after repairs. On 1 November 1890, under John Hanson’s ownership, she was at her dock on Lake Superior when a fire consumed the hull down to the waterline during the off-season lay-up. The damage was total and her service life ended abruptly.
Significant Incidents
- Grounded on mudbanks near Rices Point, Duluth in May 1890.
- Burned to the waterline on 1 November 1890 while laid up in Hughitt Avenue slip, Superior, Wisconsin.
Final Disposition
Burned and destroyed to the waterline on 1 November 1890. Remnants likely scrapped or salvaged; no active-reef status or dive site recorded.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No known discovery post-destruction. The remains were never found or documented beyond fire damage in situ.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”free-trade-us-120588″ title=”References & Links”]
The Free Trade serves as a representative example of late-19th-century wooden sidewheel ferries on the Twin Ports ferry routes. Though her career ended prematurely by fire, she illustrates the region’s robust nautical interconnectivity between Duluth and Superior. Her absence today—other than in photographic archives—highlights a vessel type once common but now vanished from Lake Superior’s waters.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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