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

• Vessel Name: Perseverance
• Other Names: None documented
• Vessel Type: Schooner
• Date Built: Pre-1814
• Builder: Unknown, but built specifically for the North West Company
• Place Built: Presumed built at or near St. Mary’s River, Upper Canada
• Dimensions:
• Exact dimensions unrecorded, but estimated:
  • Length: 50-70 feet (15-21 metres)
  • Beam: 15-20 feet (4.5-6 metres)
  • Tonnage: Estimated 50-75 tons
• Registry Number: None recorded (pre-registry era for Upper Canada vessels)
• Date Lost: August 1814
• Final Location: St. Mary’s Falls (Sault Ste. Marie), connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron
• Coordinates: Approximate vicinity: 46°30’N, 84°21’W
• Depth at Wreck Site: Unknown — presumed destroyed in shallow water near the falls.

Vessel Type

Schooner

The Perseverance was a typical early 19th-century schooner, designed for service on the upper Great Lakes, specifically Lake Superior. These vessels were versatile cargo carriers, capable of navigating open water as well as the challenging shallow rivers and narrow channels common to the fur trade routes.

Schooners like Perseverance were ideal for the North West Company’s needs — combining sailing efficiency for long lake crossings with a shallow draft for navigating the St. Mary’s River and other tight passages in the fur trade network.

History

Perseverance was built for the North West Company, one of the most powerful fur trade enterprises operating in the early 19th century. The company’s network extended across the Great Lakes, up the St. Mary’s River, and into the vast inland territories accessed via Lake Superior.

By 1814, the War of 1812 had engulfed the Great Lakes, and control of vital supply routes became a strategic priority for both British and American forces. The Perseverance, caught in the crossfire, was captured by the American squadron operating in the upper lakes during the campaign to retake Mackinac Island.

After her capture, the Americans attempted to run her down the St. Mary’s Falls (modern-day Sault Ste. Marie Rapids) to move her into Lake Huron. This proved disastrous — the schooner stranded in the rapids and, unable to recover her, the Americans burned the vessel to prevent her recapture by the British.

Final Disposition

• Cause of Loss: Stranded in the St. Mary’s Falls, then intentionally burned by the Americans.
• Final Resting Place: Somewhere within the turbulent waters of St. Mary’s Rapids, near modern-day Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
• Status: Completely destroyed, with no intact wreckage reported.

Site Description

⚠️ No confirmed archaeological discovery of Perseverance exists.

Given the violence of her destruction, any surviving remains would likely consist of:

• Charred timber fragments
• Scattered iron fittings, nails, and fastenings
• Possible cargo remnants, if any fur trade goods survived the fire and dispersal.
• All heavily disturbed by 200+ years of riverbed scouring, development, and dredging in the St. Mary’s River system.

Experience Rating

⚠️ Not a recreational dive site — Historical Archive Listing Only

The site is both unconfirmed and potentially unrecoverable due to its location in an active navigation and hydroelectric zone at the Sault.

NOTMARs & Advisories

• No current NOTMARs apply specifically to Perseverance.
• Any future discovery would fall under the jurisdiction of:
• Parks Canada (Underwater Archaeology Service)
• Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
• Potential cross-jurisdiction with U.S. authorities due to proximity to the international boundary.

Located By & Date Found

• Never officially located.
• Historical records document her loss in August 1814, during the American retreat following the failed recapture of Mackinac Island.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• Depth: Likely less than 5 metres (16 feet), given the shallow nature of the St. Mary’s Falls and surrounding channel.
• Bottom Composition: Rock, gravel, and fast-moving water typical of rapids zones.
• Visibility: Highly variable, often poor due to turbidity and flow rates.
• Condition: Presumed completely destroyed, with only burned fragments or fittings potentially surviving, if anything.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Library and Archives Canada
• Historical Collections of the Great Lakes – Bowling Green
• War of 1812 Official Records – Library of Congress

Conclusion

The Perseverance exemplifies the turbulent intersection of commerce and conflict that defined the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. A simple fur trade vessel, she became a prize of war, only to meet her end in a combination of military necessity and navigational disaster.

Her loss at St. Mary’s Falls is symbolic of the struggle for control over the inland waterways, a struggle that shaped the development of both Canada and the United States in the aftermath of the war.

Keywords & Categories

Perseverance, Schooner, Fur Trade, North West Company, War of 1812, St. Mary’s River, Sault Ste. Marie, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Naval History, Great Lakes Shipwrecks, Burned Vessels, Historical Shipwrecks, Upper Canada Maritime History.

The Perseverance was a typical early 19th-century schooner, designed for service on the upper Great Lakes, specifically Lake Superior. These vessels were versatile cargo carriers, capable of navigating open water as well as the challenging shallow rivers and narrow channels common to the fur trade routes. perseverance-pre-1814 1814-08-14 07:56:00