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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Northerner
• Built: 1871 (wooden propeller steamer)
• Lost: December 12, 1892
• Location: Outside L’Anse, Michigan, Lake Superior (baillod.com, manitouislandsarchives.org)
• Cargo: Barrels of oil and railroad rails (RR rails) (manitouislandsarchives.org)

Circumstances of Loss

• On December 7, 1892, the Northerner, under Captain Peter McKinnon and laden with barrelled oil and steel rails, ran aground on Keweenaw Point due to poor visibility amid a snowstorm (baillod.com).
• Salvage operations followed: approximately 2,000 barrels of oil were jettisoned to refloat her. She was eventually towed to L’Anse and tied up for repairs (baillod.com).
• A final fire broke out on December 12, 1892, aboard the moored vessel. The blaze consumed her, and she was determined a total loss. No deaths were reported during the incident (manitouislandsarchives.org).

Vessel Type & Construction

• Wooden propeller-driven steamship, common on Lake Superior for both passenger and freight service in the late 19th century. Dimensions and tonnage are not readily available in current catalogs and require further archival investigation.

Operational History

• Contracted by Ward’s Lake Superior Line as a package freight carrier (baillod.com).
• Skippered by Captain Peter McKinnon (baillod.com).

Casualties

• No fatalities reported during the grounding or subsequent fire (manitouislandsarchives.org, CMich News).

Wreck Site & Condition

• Final location: moored at L’Anse harbor, subsequently destroyed by fire.
• Likely remains include burned wooden hull and salvage debris still lying where she burned.
• No modern survey or diver documentation has surfaced yet.

Navigation Notices

• No record of Notices to Mariners or hazard markers associated with the wreck are currently known.

Sources & Citations

• Baillod.com summary on the Northerner grounding and cargo (baillod.com)
• Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (PDF) – final loss details (manitouislandsarchives.org)
• Saline Observer dispatch describing the fire at L’Anse (CMich News)
• Linking to Captain McKinnon and circumstances in Lake Superior (linkstothepast.com)

Research Gaps & Next Steps

• Technical specs: Investigate registration books or engineering plans for exact measurements, tonnage, and design.
• Salvage records: Check USCG/Sault Ste. Marie District logs and local Harbour Master files for repair or disposal records.
• Newspaper archives: Examine December 1892 editions of The L’Anse Sentinel, Escanaba Daily Press, and Detroit-based papers for contemporary reports, insurance claims, and crew interviews.
• Site survey: Conduct a condition survey of L’Anse harbor beds—sonar or ROV may locate burned timbers or iron cargo remnants.

Conclusion

The Northerner’s loss is a typical yet instructive 19th-century Great Lakes cargo steamship disaster: a grounding under poor visibility followed by a destructive fire at port. She carries historical interest both for early propane/oil transport and Lake Superior freight logistics. While human lives were spared, her total destruction underscores the vulnerability of wooden steamships and the challenges of firefighting in cold maritime environments. Documentation of her remains would significantly enrich the catalog of Lake Superior shipwrecks.

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