Visit Wisconsin's Maritime Trails

The Frances Hinton was built in Manitowoc in 1889 for the Lake Michigan lumber trade. On November 16, 1909, while en route to Chicago from Manistique, Michigan, the Frances Hinton began taking on water. In an attempt to make shelter and save his cargo of Norway pine lumber, Captain John Campbell steered his ship toward shore. Before reaching shelter, however, the fire in the steam boiler was extinguished by the rising water, rendering the vessel helpless. The wind blew the vessel aground where she was broken into pieces by the heavy surf while hundreds of onlookers watched from the shore. Today, the Frances Hinton rests in 15 feet of water. Her compound engine rests off her starboard side, and her boiler rises to within 5 feet of the surface. Her propeller remains connected to the shaft, and much of her hull structure remains scattered on the lakebed.