Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Rotarian
- Type: Wooden sidewheel excursion / passenger steamer
- Year Built: 1889
- Builder: Sandusky, Ohio (local builder)
- Dimensions: ~147 ft length × 27 ft beam (plus paddle guards)
- Registered Tonnage: 422 gross / 291 net
- Depth at Wreck Site: 25.6 m / 84 ft
- Location: Lake Michigan, off Chicago harbor entrance
- Coordinates: (not publicly documented)
- Official Number: 106652
- Original Owners: Later operated by Cook County Democratic interests / Chicago local parties
- Number of Masts: None
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
The Rotarian was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built for excursion and passenger service. Its design included paddlewheel guards that extended outward from the hull. In her later years, as she was converted into a docked social venue, interior modifications likely altered her original layout and some machinery or structural elements may have been removed or adapted.
Description
The Rotarian was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built for excursion and passenger service. Its design included paddlewheel guards that extended outward from the hull. In her later years, as she was converted into a docked social venue, interior modifications likely altered her original layout and some machinery or structural elements may have been removed or adapted.
History
Initially launched in 1889 as A. Wehrle, Jr. for excursion service on Lake Superior / St. Louis River routes, the vessel ran services including Duluth to Fond du Lac (per local lore). In the 1920s she was moved to Chicago and repurposed as a floating dance hall, restaurant, and political/social venue. She became associated with Cook County Democratic events and allegedly hosted Prohibition-era gatherings.
By 1929 her active operations ended. In September 1931 she sank at her dock (or partially deteriorated and submerged), was raised by authorities, and towed away from shore for intentional scuttling approximately 8.2 miles east-northeast of the Chicago harbour entrance. This is documented in Illinois DNR’s “Underwater Museums” publication.
Significant Incidents
- The Rotarian was intentionally scuttled as a disposal measure. It was not lost by accident.
- After settling on the lake bottom (at ~80-84 ft), the wreck is partially collapsed; machinery (boiler, paddlewheel remnants) is still visible.
- Artifacts such as beer bottles remain among the wreckage, linking to its Prohibition-era history.
Final Disposition
The Rotarian was intentionally scuttled as a disposal measure. It was not lost by accident. After settling on the lake bottom (at ~80-84 ft), the wreck is partially collapsed; machinery (boiler, paddlewheel remnants) is still visible. Artifacts such as beer bottles remain among the wreckage, linking to its Prohibition-era history.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No definitive archival record publicly indicates who first located or surveyed the wreck in modern times. It is well known in dive-site literature, and is actively dived and promoted via dive charters.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”rotarian-a-wehrle-jr-us-106652″ title=”References & Links”]
The Rotarian remains a significant underwater archaeological resource, attracting divers interested in its history and the remnants of its past.
Full Wreck Record — complete historical article, construction details, voyage logs, incident reports, dive conditions, and all research sources.
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