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.

Identification Card (Site Style)

Description

Constructed of white oak with iron‑reinforced frames by Bidwell & Banta in Buffalo, the Lady Elgin was a two‑decked wooden side‑wheel steamer, with dual 32‑ft diameter paddlewheels driven by low‑pressure steam machinery repurposed from the Cleopatra. She could carry approximately 200 cabin and 100 deck passengers plus 800 tons of freight, and was noted for her luxurious accommodations and speed—earning her the nickname “Queen of the Great Lakes.”

History

Lady Elgin was first enrolled 5 November 1851 in Buffalo. She served on various routes including between Buffalo and Wisconsin ports, Detroit–Dunkirk, and Buffalo–Chicago; later she ran between Chicago and Lake Superior ports, with multiple owners including New York & Erie Railroad and Albert T. Spencer before acquisition by Gurdon Hubbard in mid‑1860. Throughout her operational life she endured several incidents: collisions (1852 off Florence), grounding (1854 Manitowoc), fire damage (1857), reef impact (1858 at Copper Harbor), machinery faults (1859), but was repeatedly repaired and returned to service.

On 6 September 1860, she departed Chicago bound for Milwaukee carrying many members of Milwaukee’s Union Guards militia and other excursionists. In the pre‑dawn hours of 8 September 1860, in stormy conditions, she collided with the unlit schooner Augusta approximately 7–9 miles offshore between Winnetka and Evanston. The collision breached her port side forward of the paddlewheel and she sank within 20–30 minutes, with massive loss of life.

Final Dispositions

The collision in darkness and storm caused catastrophic hull compromise, leading to rapid sinking. Only a few lifeboats were launched; some survivors clung to debris or the hurricane deck, with strong undertow near shore tragically sweeping many to their deaths despite proximity to land. The schooner Augusta sustained minimal damage and continued to Chicago. Legal and public inquiry followed, with blame lodged at Augusta‘s second mate for negligence. Regulations were subsequently enacted requiring running lights on sailing vessels.

Located By & Date Found

The wreck was located in May 1989 by Chicago salvor Harry Zych off Highwood/Highland Park, Illinois. It lies in multiple debris fields (bow, boilers, paddlewheels, general debris) at depths of approximately 50–60 ft. Zych recovered over 130 artifacts, including coins and pocket watches. A lengthy court battle culminated in Zych being awarded legal ownership of the wreck in 1999. 

Notmars & Advisories

Current hazards: none officially noted, though unauthorized artifact removal has occurred. Wreck ownership is privately held; diving requires permission. 

Dive Information

Access: **Boat** required – site is approximately several miles offshore. Entry Point: nearest shoreline towns include Highwood or Highland Park, IL. Conditions: moderate visibility; shallow depth (15–18 m), variable currents and thermocline possible. Depth Range: ~50–60 ft / 15–18 m. Emergency Contacts: USCG Sector Lake Michigan (Chicago), local fire/rescue. Permits: **Required**—must obtain permission from Lady Elgin Foundation (Zych). Dive Support: Dive shops and charters in northern Chicago suburbs (Highwood / Highland Park) may support excursions—verify operator credentials and permissions.

Crew & Casualty Memorials

Many of the lost are interred at Calvary Cemetery, Milwaukee, where memorials exist. A commemorative bronze plaque and monument stand in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward honoring the disaster and its victims. Numerous individual names appear in period newspapers and civic archives; further searches through FindAGrave, local obituary records, or cemetery records recommended for crew and passenger details. A memorial plaque has been placed at 102 North Water Street at East Erie Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Plaque Reads as follows: 

The loss of the sidewheel steamship Lady Elgin was one of Lake Michigan’s most tragic maritime disasters. On September 8th, 1860, the ship, returning to Milwaukee from Chicago, sank following a collision nine miles off Winnetka, Illinois. Milwaukee’s Irish Union Guards had chartered the grand Lady Elgin for a special Chicago benefit trip to raise funds to purchase new weapons. Wisconsin’s Governor Alexander Randall, an opponent of the federal fugitive slave law, suspected the Union Guards of disloyalty to the state because they supported the fugitive slave law. Randall ordered the unit to disband and confiscated the Guards’ weapons. In defiance, Union Guards commander Garrett Barry sought to arm the unit independently from the state.

Aboard the ship were more than 500 Union Guards supporters, mostly from the city’s Irish Third Ward, including city officials, members of two German militia units, and the Milwaukee City Band. In the early morning hours, the ship was struck amidships by an unlit, overloaded lumber schooner, the Augusta. At least 300 lives were lost, decimating the Irish Third Ward community.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Documented Statements & Extracts

“Within 20 minutes, the Lady Elgin had disintegrated,” describing the sinking and mass loss of life in the gale.

Registry, Enrollment & Insurance Trails

First enrolled Buffalo, NY in 1851. Ownership history semi‑continuous until final owner Hubbard. Insurance payout of USD 12,000 was made to Hubbard; neither Hubbard nor insurer claimed abandonment. Augusta’s second mate was adjudged incompetent; legal liability was limited.

Site Documentation & Imaging

Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago conducted reconnaissance surveys beginning 1992, mapping, photographing, and documenting the debris fields and artifact distribution. Reports and site drawings exist in UASC archives. The Lady Elgin Foundation holds documentation and control of artifact access.

Image Gallery

Resources & Links

• Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU/HCGL)
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
• Newspapers.com
• Find A Grave
• Numismatists of Wisconsin
• Fox News – Return of Pocketwatch
• Winnetka History
• Daily Northwestern
• Wikipeda
• 3DShipwrecks

References

• “PS Lady Elgin,” Wikipedia article on the wreck, including discovery and artifacts
• Shipwreck Explorers: Steamer Lady Elgin wreck summary, loss details and depth
• Winnetka Historical Gazette: survivor accounts and shoreline rescue narrative
• Encyclopedia of Milwaukee: overview of disaster and loss figures
• Chicago‑area history write‑up: construction, dimensions, incidents
• Baillod.com: wreck discovery and National Register listing
• Luedtke, Darrell. Guide Book of Wooden Money, April, 2010.
• Smithsonian / news sources: recent gold watch return story
• Wikipedia: UASC documentation and Valerie van Heest involvement
• Jackson, Misty & Vrana, Kenneth. (2020). “Sad and Dismal is the Story”: Memory, Preservation, and the Folk Music Tradition of Great Lakes Shipwrecks. Journal of Maritime Archaeology. 15. 10.1007/s11457-020-09272-y.
• ‘Did I do my best?’: The mythology of Edward Spencer, hero of the Lady Elgin Disaster

NOAA Shipwreck Record