Thompson Township in Schoolcraft County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Christmas Tree Ship
⎯⎯⎯
Thompson

Photographed by Joel Seewald, May 31, 2017

1. Christmas Tree Ship / Thompson Marker

Inscription.
Christmas Tree Ship The Rouse Simmons was one of the last schooners on the Great Lakes. Built in 1868 to carry lumber, the three-masted vessel became Chicago's "Christmas Tree Ship" when Herman Schuenemann purchased an interest in it in 1910. Around 1876 the Schuenemanns had begun transporting trees from northern Michigan and Wisconsin to Chicago. In November 1898 Herman's brother August perished in the wreck of the schooner S. Thal, but Herman continued the business. Bound for Chicago on November 22, 1912, he boarded the Simmons which was loaded with trees from Thompson's forests, and sailed into a fierce snowstorm that plunged the ship, and its crew and passengers, to the lake bottom. Herman's wife and daughters delivered trees to Chicago each Christmas until around 1934.

Thompson The Delta Lumber Company of Detroit, headed by E.L. Thompson, platted the village of Thompson in 1888. Seven different lumber companies ran the mill in the village. By 1907 the population had reached 900. Three churches and four saloons served the residents, as did a general store, a hotel, and a hospital. Stagecoaches carried passengers twice daily to nearby Manistique, located along the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway. The Thompson Railroad, used primarily for hauling logs to the docks, also took tours to the Big Spring, Kitchi-ti-ki-pi. Lumbering activities in Thompson died out quickly, and by 1919 the town's population had dropped to only 150. Thompson was the last port of call for the "Christmas Tree Ship," Rouse Simmons, which sank in 1912.

Erected 2006 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S696.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels.

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In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea, and the Michigan Historical Commission series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1898.

Location. 45° 54.403′ N, 86° 19.477′ W. Marker is near Thompson, Michigan, in Schoolcraft County. It is in Thompson Township. It is on unnamed road 0.1 miles east of U.S. 2, on the right when traveling east. The unnamed road is north of Thompson, about 415 feet north of Manistique Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Manistique MI 49854, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Great North Woods,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Life in a Lumber Town (here, next to this marker); Schoolcraft County (here, next to this marker); The Christmas Tree Ship (here, next to this marker);

Photographed by Joel Seewald, May 31, 2017

2. Christmas Tree Ship / Thompson Marker

Thompson Docks (here, next to this marker); The Mill Brings Prosperity to Thompson (here, next to this marker); The Manistique Lighthouse (approx. 4.8 miles away); Near-Shore Sawdust and Wood Chip Deposits (approx. 4.9 miles away); Manistique Boardwalk (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Thompson.

Also see . . .
1. The Legend of Northern Michigan’s Christmas Tree Ship. Article from MyNorth (December 2015). (Submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

2. 'Christmas tree ship' went down on the lake 100 years ago. Article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (December 2012). (Submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

3. The Christmas Tree Ship: Captain Herman E. Schuenemann and the Schooner Rouse Simmons. Article in Prologue Magazine (Winter 2006). (Submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

4. Rouse Simmons. Wikipedia article about the Rouse Simmons. (Submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Photographed by Joel Seewald, May 31, 2017

3. Christmas Tree Ship / Thompson Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 782 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 10, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.

Christmas Tree Ship⎯⎯⎯Thompson

Christmas Tree Ship
⎯⎯⎯
Thompson