Michigan has had it’s share of tragedies and disasters. The headlines catch our attention but they don’t always tell us the how’s and why’s. Sometimes there is more to the stories than we can imagine. Ms. Shelby Johnson is bringing her spin on those events to us here with her contributions.
Shelby Johnson is a native Michigander, born, raised and residing in Jackson County. She is a graduate from Western Michigan University with a bachelor degree in Anthropology. She has spent hours in labs sorting artifacts from our past and will help to bring insight into the tragedies and disasters our state has experiencedand sharing her knowledge with us as she does.
Photomosaic of the Rouse Simmons wreck site. Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society.
December 2023
A Shared Fate Amonst Brothers: Captain Santa Sinks
When people say Christmas, for most, a jolly fat man in a red fur suit fills their mind. But how many people think of a captain of a three mast schooner? For the people of 1912 Chicago, that is exactly what they thought of. Herman Schuenemann embodied the spirit of Christmas for many German immigrants in Chicago in the early 1900s.
Herman Schuenemann and his brother were both beloved by the people of Chicago. Both of the brothers were well known for their generosity and beautiful trees collected from Michigan’s upper peninsula. As fate would have it, Herman would follow in his brother’s footsteps.
August Schuenemann, known as “Christmas Tree Schuenemann” began hauling trees 1876. He would brave the gales of November year in and out to bring trees to the people of Chicago. In 1898, during one such gale, the S. Thal and all of her crew were lost while hauling a load of trees late in the season. August left behind wife, Rose Schuenemann. Herman was supposed to be making the journey with August at the time of the wreck, but was called home to care for an illness in the family.
After the loss of his beloved brother, Herman continued his mission to provide joy to all, even in the midst of such profound loss. He is remembered for his generosity despite personal struggles. Though he was of modest means; having good years and bad years, he was unwavering in his duty to those in need. Many of the trees that he brought were donated to churches, the poor, and orphanages around the greater Chicago area. The rest of the trees were sold for between .50 cents and a dollar. He sold directly to the masses, bypassing a middleman and the markup that came with it.
He acquired the ship, Mary Collins, which he captained until its sinking. The Mary Collins sank in shallow water and all aboard were saved. Afterwards, he purchased partial ownership of the Rouse Simmons. By this time, Herman was better known as “Captain Santa”. At the time of purchase, in 1910, the Rouse Simmons was already 42 years old and had seen its share of the Great Lakes.
1912 has not been a kind year for Herman and his family. All the money they had left was tied up in the last haul of trees that he was to bring back to Chicago. In Thompson, Michigan, the Rouse Simmons was loaded with over 5,000 trees for the trip back down Lake Michigan. On November 22, 1912, the load was so massive, Captain Santa was warned that it was too much for the approaching weather. Herman decided he would continue as planned. It is said that many crew members refused to board the ship. Rats were reportedly seen abandoning the ship. It is also said that the ship was in ill repair as she neared 50 years on the harsh lakes that were not known for being kind to vessels.
There is some argument about how many people were aboard, it is generally agreed that there were between seventeen and twenty-two people aboard when she left Thompson. Only five of which were crew, the remainder were lumberjacks and others seeking passage. One crew member aboard was Captain Charles Nelson, who also held ownership of the Rouse Simmons.
The journey was set to take about a week as the Rouse Simmons was a three mast Schooner, driven forth by wind rather than a propulsion system. At the time, many of Captain Santa’s competitors had decided against making the trip in light of the weather in the area. This journey had many red flags before she even left port. In the early morning hours, trouble struck. Initially, crew members, Invald and Steve, were swept off deck along with the lifeboat while checking cargo, both were lost at sea. Things only got worse.
At 2:50am, the Rouse Simmons was spotted by the Kewaunee Life Saving Station with her flags at half mast. She was riding low in the water. Station keeper Nelson Craite was notified, but unable to assist as his gas powered tug had been dispatched earlier in the day and had not returned. At 3:10am, he alerted the next station down the line in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. George E. Sogge launched the power boat in search of the ship, not yet identified. The Tuscarora searched, but weather conditions at the time made the search impossible; the fog and snow made visibility non-existent. The Rouse Simmons was never seen again above water.
In December 1912, wreckage of a ship, along with Christmas trees started washing ashore in Pentwater, Michigan. In 1924, a few net fisherman caught more than they bargained for; a wallet, belonging to none other than Herman Schuenemann. The wallet had been so well preserved for 12 years in an oilskin. Newspaper clippings about Captain Santa were still legible. The wallet was returned to the family. In 1971, the ship was uncovered off Point Beach, Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
Originally, Gordon Kent Bellrichard was searching for the October 1887 wreck, the Vernon. He was informed by locals that there was an area where nets and lines would snag; Mr. Bellrichard believed deeply that this had to be the Vernon. After diving down, his lights failed and after feeling his away around it became painfully obvious that what he found was much more than he could have hoped. Christmas trees littered the wreckage, some still clinging to their needles. After decades of not knowing, the Rouse Simmons had been found, 172 feet below the surface.
The news of the discovery came 21 years too late. Herman’s wife Barbara died June 15, 1933. His daughter, who carried on his legacy and became “The Queen of Christmas Trees”, Elsie, died January 31, 1950.
While alive, Barbara “Mother” and Elsie, along with Hazel and Pearl, Elsie’s sisters, carried on Herman and August’s legacy of bringing Christmas to Chigaco. In 1912, Elsie salvaged trees that had washed ashore and sold them just as her father had hoped to. Barbara donated the annual tree to St. Pauls, just as her husband would have wanted. Elsie began captaining her own tree ship until the practice ended in 1920. Then the operation continued by railway. They would load the trees onto a docked ship and sell them just as they always had.
It is unknown exactly what caused the sinking of the Rouse Simmons, but the legacy did not die with her crew. Every year, the US Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, brings a load of trees in honor of the Rouse Simmons. Herman is remembered as a kind man, a man of extraordinary faith, and most importantly a friend to all. In an interview, Elsie stated that she was not exaggerating when she said that over 500 people had reached out to offer condolences and offer aid. He was a man that touched so many. From now on, when I think of Christmas, I am going to think of Herman Schuenemann, a man who risked all to bring joy to all. It was his life’s mission, and by all accounts, he succeeded daily.
Herman Schuenemann, a.k.a. “Captain Santa” (center), with two members of his crew on the deck of the Rouse Simmons. Photo: Chicago Historical Society.
The Edmund Fitzgerald Bell located at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Paradise, MI Photo Credit: Iva Johnson
November 2023
If you are alive today, chances are you have heard the tale of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. The storms, the crew, and the bell are well known on the Great Lakes. She serves as a grim reminder that November brings great peril to those who have made the Great Lakes, particularly Lake Superior, their mistress. Her tale is intriguing to most that have heard it, not because it has happened, but because she is shrouded in mystery.
Her life started like any other ship on the lakes. She was launched June 7, 1958 and had her maiden voyage September 24th of that same year. When life for the Mighty Fitz began, she was a coal fired freighter. She remained this way until the winter season of 1971-1972 when she was refitted for oil fuel with automated boiler controls. She carried 72,000 gallons of fuel aboard. She could carry 13,632 gross tons. She was a true workhorse of the great lakes and was hailed “Pride of the American Side”. Her port of registry was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Under the command of Captain Peter Pulcer, she was a favorite along the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers as well as the Soo Locks. Captain Pulcer earned the moniker the “DJ Captain” as he would blast music over her intercoms day and night for spectators and crew alike. She was a record breaking ship, even breaking many of her own records for hauls. Mighty indeed.
The S.S Edmund Fitgerald set off from Superior, Wisconsin with a load of Taconite headed for steel mills in Detroit, Michigan on November 9, 1975. She was joined by the SS Arthur M. Anderson for that fateful trip. It was the sixth one of the season as it drew closer to a close. There was a gale warning in effect for this journey. The next day both ships found themselves caught up in the storm; their only communication was with each other.
The conditions were fierce; hurricane-like winds and waves reaching 35 feet tall battered both ships heavily. “I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I’ve ever been in,” reported Captain Ernest M. McSorley, captain of the Fitzgerald. Despite the statement, he never raised a distress signal. His last message to the Arthur M. Anderson was one of hope; “ We are holding our own.” Shortly after the message was sent, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared into the waves taking all 29 crew members with her.
Though no bodies were recovered from the wreckage, it does appear that one crewman, who remains unidentified and with the Fitz, was uncovered during a dive in July of 1994. Frederick Shannon led a dive in a mini submersible with the permission of the Canadian government revealed the skeletal remains of one crewman near the bow of the ship. He was clad in what appeared to be coveralls and had a life jacket made of cork blocks. This led Shannon to believe that at least one individual aboard knew that sinking was a possibility, per The Milwaukee Journal interview released Thursday July 28, 1994.
Even with a multitude of dives and explorations to the wreckage in the days and years following her sinking, there is still not a definitive cause for her wreckage. Some theories include structural failure due to a refit that changed her load capabilities, and bottoming out on a shoal, Another theory is that the ship sank after taking on too much water due to the storm; this includes the rogue wave theory about three waves that were larger than the others battering the ship in rapid succession not allowing for recovery between. Many experts have gone over the few details that are known with the goal of proving and disproving each theory.
NOAA and the NWS did a computer generated simulation of the weather conditions from November 9th through the 11th that shows wind and wave patterns for Lake Superior. The results showed that the worst of the storm lay in the path of the Fitzgerald. For more scientific details regarding the simulation, I encourage you to look into their website.
The sinking of the Fitz forever changed how shipping is done on the Great Lakes. New safety implementations have been put in place to try to decrease the loss of life. Vessels with tonnage greater than 1,600 GRT now have to use depth finders, survival suits are now in crew quarters and workstations, LORAN-C positioning systems replaced GPS, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons were installed on all great lakes vessels which allow for accurate and immediate locating; navigational charts were updated for accuracy, NOAA revised their wave prediction methods, USCG rescinded their 1973 load line regulation that permitted reduced freeboard loadings, and the coast guard now does fall inspections of hatches, vents and lifesaving equipment every year. Joe Warren, who was a deckhand on the Arthur M. Anderson during the storm of 75 states “After that, trust me, when a gale came up we dropped the hook. We dropped the hook because they found out the big ones could sink.”
The bell from the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was salvaged in 1995 with the backing of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians with a loan of 250,000 USD. The bell from the Fitzgerald is now on permanent display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. A legal agreement was reached that made the GLSHS responsible for maintaining the bell, also provided that the bell could not be moved, sold, or used for commercial purposes. In 1995,a maintenance worker from St. Ignace refurbished the bell, in turn stripping off the protective coating put in place by experts at Michigan State University. In 1996, the GLSM tried to use the bell in a touring exhibition. Apparently, they did not feel that the legal agreement applied. Should they violate the terms of this legal agreement, the bell will be moved to the Mariner’s Church of Detroit.
During the dive, the bell was replaced with a replica that had each member of the crew’s name engraved on it. This serves a type of headstone and memorial as the wreck is absolutely designated a watery grave. A beer was left in the steer house as tribute to the fallen sailors.
I have heard that it is now illegal to dive down to the Edmund Fitzgerald, though it appears that that is not entirely true. Since the wreck lies in Canadian waters, they control the who, how, and why of dives. They have put in place such strict rules and regulations regarding dives, that it seems that people just don’t have the motivation to jump through all the hoops and red tape. This is due to the legal goings on of the Fitz being a watery grave. That’s alright. It doesn’t seem like we learn anything new from the dives. All the imaging you could want has already been done. It’s nice that the sailors can have a little peace.
On November 10th of each year the Dossin Great Lakes Museum holds a remembrance of fallen sailors of the great lakes. This year is the 24th Annual Lost Mariners Remembrance at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. Though on the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald, it does pay tribute to all who have perished on the lakes and talks about other wrecks. There will be a link to the event posted below, entry is $10 for members and $15 for guests.
The Fitz’s story has been retold countless times and it is hard to think of shipwrecks and Great Lakes without immediately conjuring images of the Mighty Fitz. When Gordon Lightfoot read an article just two weeks after the sinking, he was horrified to find that the newspaper had spelled it “Edmond”. He felt that this dishonored those who had died and thus wrote his ballad. Creative Licensing aside, you can bet that everyone knows the song. Gordon Lightfoot passed away May 1, 2023 at the age of 84. On May 2, 2023 the Mariner’s Church of Detroit rang its bell 30 times, 29 for each sailor and once for Mr. Lightfoot.
At this point, I would like to take a minute to introduce, or reintroduce to some, the concept of Oral tradition; sometimes referred to as Oral Lore. Oral tradition is defined as a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas, and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Oral tradition is used for education, relay cultural identity, entertainment, cultural dialog and tolerance, and preservation of culture. Type of oral tradition includes proverbs, riddles, tales, nursery rhymes, legends and myths, epic songs and poems, charms and prayers, chants and songs, dramatic performances and many more.
There are a few advantages to using oral tradition as a method of disseminating information. Firstly, it does not require participants to be able to read or write. It allows historians to get firsthand information from the people. Oral tradition makes information easier to collect. Lastly, it makes it easy to interview people anywhere at any time.
A few famous examples of Oral tradition/Lore are as follows: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey which were passed down orally for generations before being put into writing, the Lost City of Atlantis originating in Egypt before turning into an epic poem, Bigfoot, Camelot and King Arthur dating back to the 9th century, El Dorado from South America, the Fountain of Youth, Johnny Appleseed, Loch Ness Monster of Scotland, all mythologies, Robin Hood, William Tell which is a Swiss tale, and the Yeti/ Abominable Snowman.
Other concepts that are originally orally transmitted include: customs like birthday candles and bachelor/ bachelorette parties, superstitions like “find a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck”, proverbs like a watched pot never boils and actions speak louder than words, songs like For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow from the 18th century and London Bridge dating back as far as 1230.
The SS. Edmund Fitzgerald is a great example of oral tradition. Between The Wreck Of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot, and numerous plays, productions, and concertos that have been done in the years since the sinking, more people are introduced to the larger than life tragedy of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald by oral retellings then by learning about it in school. I for one had heard the song when I was little though I was too young to understand what the song was about. While I was in school, I had an opportunity to take part in Michigan Archaeology Day in Lansing; this particular year, they had a presentation being done about Edmund Fitzgerald. I wish now that I could tell you the name of the presenter, but I cannot recall. He did a great job talking about the tragedy and growing up around Whitefish point with all the tales. He was an artist and had written multiple books about Great Lakes shipwrecks. It was very impactful, moreso than just reading about it in a textbook.
I hope you learned a little about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and maybe a little bit about oral tradition along the way today. If you get the chance to check out the Dossin Lost Mariner’s Remembrance Day, let us know what you thought about it.
October 2023
The Fate Of The SS Kamloops
For half a century, the fate of the SS Kamloops was a mystery; her crew became mere ghosts of the Great Lakes. However, in August of 1977 a light was shed on what unfolded December 7, 1927. How had the SS Kamloops come to rest on her starboard side, her cargo a scattered mess on the lake’s floor and her smokestack detached?
The SS Kamloops was built in Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England by the Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in 1924 for Steamships Ltd of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was a package freighter with triple expansion steam propulsion measuring in at 250 feet long and 24 feet tall. She was by no means a large vessel, though that was by design. Kamloops was designed specifically to fit through locks since the seaways had not yet been constructed. She completed runs for the Steamships Ltd until 1926 after getting trapped in ice in the St. Mary’s River. She remained on British registries until purchased by Canada Steamship Lines.
The departure of SS Kamloops in November 1927 was the last run of the navigational season. Her cargo was a hodge podge of items including but not limited to wire for farm fencing, tar paper, and paper making machinery. Her last stop, unbeknownst to anyone, was Courtright, Ontario on December 1st, where the Kamloops received her last bit of cargo; bagged salt.
True to the nature of Lake Superior, she couldn’t let the shipping season end so smoothly. 36 mile per hour winds had begun raging over the lake on November 30th causing several ships to anchor down in Whitefish Bay; who was not unfamiliar with wrecks of her own. On December 5th, Kamloops would find herself too, in Whitefish Bay waiting out the winds and subzero temperatures that left many other ships entombed in an icy case. From December 5 to December 6th, little is known about the movements of Kamloops. Kamloops was suspected to have made it to Isle Royale before going missing on December 7th. Many grew concerned by December 12th as Kamloops had yet to arrive at Fort Williams despite the fact that the Quedoc, a ship that had made it through the Soo with Kamloops, had already arrived and unloaded her cargo. From December 12 to the 22nd, extensive searches were underway for the missing vessel and her crew of 22; SS Kamloops had vanished without a trace.
The 1928 season began anew in May and an additional search effort was made to find Kamloops and her crew, though at this point it was absolutely a recovery mission. A fisherman on Isle Royale at 12 O’ Clock Bay, by the name of David Lind, made a grisly discovery; two crewmembers had washed ashore along with some debris from the Kamloops herself. Six more crew members were uncovered in June 1928.
Though the crewmembers discovered in June were decomposed, examination of the remains, as well as the materials found with the bodies, helped identify Alice Bettridge, the Assistant Stewardess of the Kamloops. Alice’s remains were originally reported to be those of Netty Grafton; the stewardess. The deciding factor in positive identification came down to teeth; the remains were found with natural human teeth, Netty was known to have dentures. Inland, remains of Honore “Henry” Genest were discovered. The six crew members as well as Honore were found with lifebelts either on their person or in proximity suggesting that they had had time to load up onto a life boat. Days after the initial sinking; Captains and crews of tug boats in the surrounding areas had proposed the possibility that Kamloops’ crew could have made it to Isle Royale. Though they had looked and looked and looked; they had not been able to find them before all 22 expired.
Nine members total were discovered ashore; five of which were identified and returned to their families for proper burial; the others were given a collective burial at Thunder Bay; a grave stone was erected in 2011.
First hand accounts of the incident tells us that Alice Bettridge, the 22 year-old assistent stewardess was the last of her companions to pass from exposure on Isle Royale. A message in a bottle was discovered in the Agawa River, written by Alice. Her only wish as she remained trapped on the Isle with no one left to keep her company was that her parents may know what had happened to her.
Though they searched on for the other crew members and the remains of the ship during the 1928 season, they turned up empty handed. For almost half a century; the SS Kamloops served as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by crews seasons in and seasons out. In 1977, sports divers made it their mission to find the all but forgotten ship and they began searching Isle Royale and surrounding areas.
On August 21, 1977, they found her broken and battered on the lake floor. Cargo laid scattered about the wreck and in her holds, her smoke stack came to rest just off her starboard aft mast. Many dives have been made to Kamloops; we are still no closer to figuring out why she sank.
The extreme temperature of Lake Superior allows for amazing preservation, be that of materials, vessels, or the crews that go down with them. Some remains of Kamloops’ fallen crew remain with her at the bottom of the lake. “Old Whitey” remains caught under the stairway of the engine room to this day. Though he is ghostly white from a century of being submerged; he is still very well preserved. Despite his preservation, his identity is still unknown.
We may never know what happened in her final hours. All that is certain is that she never made it to her final destination and her crew never made it home; relieved to have finished out yet another season. For some of her crew, like Netty Grafton, the season was to be their last on the Great Lakes. For others, like Alice Bettridge, the season had been among their first seasons, with plenty more ahead of them.
“I am the last one left alive, freezing and starving to death on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. I just want mom and dad to know my fate.” – Alice Bettridge
Please note that though you can google images of “Old Whitey” as taken by divers down to the wreck, it is illegal to photograph human decedents in graves in Michigan according to Section 750.160a. Due to the nature of shipwrecks, many shipwrecks are declared graves. It is unclear if this does apply to the SS Kamloops.
The message from Alice Bettridge is an excellent example of a primary source. There are many sources when talking about events: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary sources are from people who were present during an event; first hand accounts. Secondary sources are from people who were not present during the event and are providing communication after the fact. Tertiary sources are things like textbooks that list events or summarize. This post is a tertiary account as it was researched and summarized.
If you are interested in learning more about the SS Kamloops and the timeline of events that transpired, the national park service has a fantastic article linked below.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ss-kamloops-wreck-event.htm