Maritime historians discover steam tug hidden in Lake Michigan since 1895

On the morning of Sept. 13, Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck set out on a three-day mission to find the John Evenson in the depths of Lake Michigan.

The wood steam tug sank in 1895 and its whereabouts have eluded people ever since. Decades ago, a local dive club even offered a $500 reward to find it.

For years before their mission, the two maritime historians from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association had collected various historical documents on the steam tug, as well as the wreck report by the Evenson's captain. The accounts helped them narrow their search to a few miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin.

When Baillod and Jaeck got to the search site that morning, Lake Michigan's waves were rough — almost too rough to use their sonar equipment. And they realized that the water was about 15 feet deeper than they thought it would be. The pair turned to the south, pointing the stern to the waves, and went below deck to rethink their search grid.

Five minutes later, and roughly a quarter mile from the search grid, a huge steam boiler showed up on screen.

Baillod and Jaeck turned to each other, both "gobsmacked."

"It was almost like the wreck wanted to be found," Baillod said.

The remains of the John Evenson, a wooden steam tug built in Milwaukee were five miles northeast of Algoma, 50 feet below the water's surface.

After they spotted the boat, the maritime historians deployed a remote operated vehicle, which revealed the tug's giant propellor, steam engine and the hull-bed with most of the ship's machinery, offering a look at the steam technology used the late 1800s.

It reflects a moment in Milwaukee's history, as well as Door County's, Baillod said.

A piece of Milwaukee history hidden for 130 years

The steam tug and the man it honored had been on Baillod's mind for decades.

John Evenson was an important man in the Milwaukee maritime community in the late 1800s, Baillod explained. He was the captain of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Station in the 1870s and '80s.

He died when he was 40, leaving behind a wife and three children.

The tug, built by Evenson in Milwaukee in 1884, was sold to George Spear, who moved it to Door County so it could be used in the lumber trade to tow log rafts. It was purchased in 1890 by brothers John and Alexander Laurie to tow vessels and barges, or scows filled with stone from nearby quarries, in Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay. John Laurie was the captain when the Evenson sank.

In the afternoon of June 5, 1895, while helping the steam barge I.W. Stephenson enter the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the John Evenson got too close while attaching a line and was struck by the Stephenson. The tug capsized and sank immediately. Four members of the crew were rescued. Martin Boswell, the tug's fireman, was below deck and was carried down with the vessel.

'It never gets old'

This is not the first time Baillod and Jaeck have made significant discoveries.

In 2023, they located the intact remains of the 138-foot canal schooner Trinidad off Algoma. The schooner sank on May 5, 1881, after it sprung a leak heading south to Milwaukee. No lives were lost, except for the ship's mascot — a Newfoundland dog who was asleep in a cabin.

The Trinidad was one of 13 shipwrecks discovered in Wisconsin's Lake Michigan waters last year − smashing previous years' records.

Earlier this year, the pair discovered the Margaret A. Muir. The 130-foot, three-masted schooner sank on Sept. 30, 1893 after taking on water from a massive wave. The remains lie off Algoma as well.

Even after three decades, finding a new shipwreck like the John Evenson is special.

"It never gets old, it's always exciting," Baillod said.

Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com or follow her on X@caitlooby.