Prairie Flower (1864)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Prairie Flower
• Type: Wooden cargo vessel (likely schooner)
• Year Built: circa 1864
• Builder: Unknown
• Dimensions: Estimated 100–140 ft (30.48–42.67 m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: Not recorded
• Location: Lake Huron region (shoreline or river vicinity — unrecorded)
• Coordinates: Not documented
• Official Number: Not located
• Original Owners: Not recorded
• Number of Masts: Unknown

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Prairie Flower was a mid-19th-century wooden cargo schooner (type inferred from period registry context). Built circa 1864, the vessel was likely intended for general freight or bulk trading across the lower Great Lakes. Her name reflects a common convention of the era—evoking Midwestern imagery and natural motifs typical in Great Lakes ship naming practice.

Description

Operational records for Prairie Flower are scarce. No builder, home port, or owner details have yet surfaced in published Great Lakes vessel lists or U.S. registry ledgers. She is believed to have operated in the Lake Huron trade network between Detroit, Saginaw, and Alpena.

History

In December 1867, the Prairie Flower was reportedly destroyed by fire somewhere on or near Lake Huron. Contemporary notices indicate a total loss by fire, though the exact harbor or shoreline location remains unknown. No crew fatalities were recorded, suggesting the vessel burned while moored or within reach of rescue. No mention of cargo suggests she was either laid up for winter or in ballast.

Significant Incidents

• The Prairie Flower burned on Lake Huron in December 1867; no lives were lost.

Final Disposition

The vessel was completely consumed by the blaze. No salvage or refit attempts were reported, and the vessel was struck from active records after 1867. No physical wreckage has been identified; it is presumed that the remains either burned to the waterline or were dismantled and scattered in shallow water.

Current Condition & Accessibility

The Prairie Flower has not been located. No sonar, dive, or archaeological surveys have identified remains matching this vessel. It does not appear in NOAA’s Great Lakes wreck listings or Ontario/Michigan underwater heritage inventories.

Resources & Links

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The Prairie Flower (built c.1864, lost December 1867) was a wooden cargo schooner or trader that burned to a total loss on or near Lake Huron. No lives were lost, and the cause, ownership, and precise location remain unknown. To expand the record, researchers should examine local newspapers, marine insurance ledgers, harbor logs, and state historical societies for additional information.