Algoma in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Schooner Daniel Lyons
Historic Shipwreck
— Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails —
Type: Wooden Schooner, three masted
Built: 1873, George Goble, Oswego, N.Y.
Sank: October 18, 1878
Length: 138’ Beam: 26’
Cargo: Wheat
Depth of Wreckage: 110’
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
About eight miles northeast of here, the wooden schooner Daniel Lyons rests 110 feet beneath Lake Michigan’s waves. The three-masted Daniel Lyons delivered grain to ports around the Great Lakes in the 1870s, until a collision sent her to the bottom in the early morning of Oct. 18, 1878.
On Oct. 17, 1878, the Daniel Lyons departed Chicago at one A.M., loaded with wheat and bound for Buffalo, New York. She made her way up the Wisconsin coastline easily in the light fall breeze, until she was offshore from Clay Banks in Door County. About four A.M., the red and green lights of another vessel appeared in the darkness. It was the Kate Gillett, heavily laden with fence posts and bound for Chicago. The ships tried to avoid one another, but the Kate Gillett rammed the starboard side of the Lyons, piercing her hull.
The two vessels remained locked together long enough for the captain and crew of the Daniel Lyons to jump aboard the Gillett. When the ships separated, the Daniel Lyons quickly sank.
Today, the hull has collapsed. Masts, gaffs, booms, wire rope, and other rigging are strewn about the wreck site, and divers can examine deck winches and a windlass. The site is marked seasonally by a WHS mooring Buoy.
Erected by Wisconsin Historical Society, UW Sea Grant Institute, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1772.
Location. 44° 36.458′ N, 87° 25.92′ W. Marker is in Algoma, Wisconsin, in Kewaunee County. Marker can be reached from Steele Street, 0.1 miles east of Lake Street. Marker is located at the east end of Algoma Municipal Marina. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Algoma WI 54201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Christmas Tree Ship Point (here, next to this marker); Officer Ronald L. Leist (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); American Legion Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Church of St. Agnes-by-the-Lake (approx. 0.3 miles away); Door-Kewaunee County College / Henry Diefenbach Sculptures (approx. 0.4 miles away); Brickyards (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Lumber Industry in Algoma (approx. 0.8 miles away); Bruemmerville (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Algoma.
Additional keywords. Schooner Daniel Lyons
Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 5, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 882 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 5, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 6, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.