Lincoln Dall – Lake Michigan Schooner Shipwreck (1894)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: LINCOLN DALL
• Type: Schooner
• Year Built: 1869
• Builder: Miller Brothers
• Dimensions: Length: 115.8 ft (35.3 m); Beam: 25.2 ft (7.7 m); Depth of hold: 9.2 ft (2.8 m)
• Registered Tonnage: Gross: 206.7 tons; Net: 196.37 tons
• Location: Off Glencoe, Illinois
• Official Number: 15577
• Original Owners: David Dall (original owner)
• Number of Masts: Two-masted, fore-and-aft rig

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

• Type: Schooner
• Rig: Two-masted, fore-and-aft
• Hull Material: Wood
• Decks: 1

Description

• Builder: Miller Brothers
• Original Owner: David Dall
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 115.8 ft (35.3 m)
  • Beam: 25.2 ft (7.7 m)
  • Depth: 9.2 ft (2.8 m)
• Tonnage:
  • Gross: 206.7 tons
  • Net: 196.37 tons

History

• 1869 (June): Damaged after striking a bridge in Chicago.
• 1869 (November): Ashore on Sugar Island in Lake Huron.
• 1871 (September): Lost mainmast and suffered rigging damage at Middle Island, Lake Huron; underwent drydocking at Detroit for repairs.
• 1877: New deck installed.
• 1878 (August): Lost foretopmast and canvas during a gale on Lake Michigan near Chicago.
• 1882: Major repair documented.
• 1883 (November): Grounded off Washington Island in Detroit Harbor, Green Bay, WI; temporarily abandoned.
• 1894 (May 18): Wrecked in a storm off Glencoe, IL while carrying lumber. One life lost; remaining crew rescued by the Evanston, Illinois Lifesaving Service.

Significant Incidents

• Wrecked in a storm on May 18, 1894, off Glencoe, Illinois.
• One crew member perished; others were rescued by the United States Life-Saving Service.

Final Disposition

The LINCOLN DALL met her end during a spring storm in May 1894. While sailing with a load of lumber, she wrecked off Glencoe, Illinois. One crew member perished in the incident, while others were saved by the United States Life-Saving Service station in Evanston, IL.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No official record of discovery; remains presumed lost offshore in the nearshore Lake Michigan zone.

Resources & Links

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The LINCOLN DALL was a robust Chicago-built lumber schooner that operated extensively on both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Though she weathered numerous mishaps over her 25-year career, including groundings and dismastings, she remained in service until lost in a severe 1894 storm. Her history is emblematic of the durability — and ultimate vulnerability — of the Great Lakes sailing fleet during the wood-and-canvas era.