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 & Site Information

• Name: Pulaski
• Official Number: 20455
• Year Built: 1873
• Built at: Port Huron, Michigan
• Vessel Type: Schooner (Canaller)
• Hull Material: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Builder: Archibald Muir
• Original Owners: John T. & Thomas S. Mott, Oswego, New York
• Length: 136 feet (41.5 metres)
• Beam: 26 feet (7.9 metres)
• Depth: 11 feet (3.4 metres)
• Tonnage: 349.25 gross tons / 331.61 net tons
• Number of Masts: 3
• Final Location: 1 mile south of Good Harbor, Leelanau County, Lake Michigan
• Date of Loss: 3 October 1887
• Cargo at Loss: Coal

Vessel Type Description
The Pulaski was a wooden three-masted schooner, classified as a canaller — designed for the grain and coal trades on the Great Lakes and to transit the Welland Canal dimensions of the period. Its rig was adapted for carrying bulk cargoes economically across the lakes and through connecting canals.

History
The Pulaski was launched on October 7, 1873, after enrollment at Port Huron on October 1 of that year. She traded for over a decade between Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan ports, moving commodities such as coal, grain, and lumber. During her career, she was remeasured several times, reflecting typical administrative updates of the time.

By 1887, the Pulaski was owned by L.S. Sullivan & Charles Hubbard of Toledo, Ohio, and operating largely in the Lake Michigan coal trade. On October 3, 1887, while carrying a cargo of coal, she encountered severe weather and was blown ashore about one mile south of Good Harbor, Leelanau County, Michigan. The schooner was wrecked beyond recovery, though all crew members survived.

On October 14, 1887, her enrollment documents were officially surrendered, confirming her loss.

Final Disposition
Wrecked and abandoned after going ashore in a storm on Lake Michigan in 1887. No salvage of the hull is noted beyond potential cargo recovery.

NOTMARs & Advisories
No current Notices to Mariners (NOTMARs) apply to this wreck site, though general caution is advised in shallow areas near Good Harbor.

Located By & Date
No known modern archaeological documentation exists; assumed locally known since loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility
Remains of the Pulaski are presumed to be scattered or buried in shifting sands near Good Harbor. There is no reliable dive report for the site.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Vessels Index
• David Swayze Shipwreck File
• Leelanau Historical Society

Conclusion
The Pulaski is a classic example of the large three-masted canallers that once dominated Great Lakes commerce. Her loss demonstrates the vulnerability of these wooden schooners to sudden storms, even late in the 19th century when shipping practices had greatly advanced.

Keywords
Pulaski, schooner, canaller, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes shipwreck, coal trade, 19th-century maritime commerce