19th-Century Shipwreck Found in Lake Michigan

A Wisconsin rafter and shipwreck hunter has discovered a schooner that vanished in Lake Michigan 138 years ago.

Matt Olson, owner of Door County Adventure Rafting, said he noticed a dark outline in the water while browsing satellite images in July. The shape appeared near Rowleys Bay at the northern tip of Wisconsin, across Green Bay from Menominee, Michigan.

A week later, while scouting rafting sites, Olson confirmed the outline was indeed a wreck. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced the find on August 22, calling it the second major Great Lakes discovery this year. Earlier this year, wreck hunters also located the SS James Carruthers, lost in a 1913 Lake Huron storm.

Lake Michigan shipwreck identified as Frank D. Barker

Follow-up dives by maritime archaeologists confirmed the wreck as the Frank D. Barker, a two-masted wooden schooner that sank in 1887. The vessel stretched 137 feet and was built for heavy cargo.

“I was surprised by how big it was,” Olson said. “A lot of it still there today, which is pretty cool because a lot of these wrecks get destroyed by the wind and ice as time goes on.”

Olson, a Door County native of northeastern Wisconsin, which extends into Lake Michigan, has found two other wrecks. After reporting the Barker, he returned to dive on it and even brought his six-year-old son to snorkel over the site. “He was one of the first people to see this ship in over 100 years,” Olson said.

Lost in the fog on final voyage

The Barker left Manistee, Michigan, bound for Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula to pick up iron ore, the Historical Society said. Rowleys Bay lay directly along its route.

A local boater’s discovery near Rowleys Bay has led to the identification of the Frank D. Barker shipwreck, lost in 1887. pic.twitter.com/llVp0qq3Z2

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 22, 2025

Dense fog forced the schooner off course, causing it to strike a limestone outcrop and run aground just off Spider Island near Newport State Park in Door County. All crew members survived the incident.

Salvage attempts began the following day when the tug Spalding attempted to recover the vessel but was unsuccessful. Additional salvage missions in 1887 and 1888 also fell short. Valued at $8,000 at the time—roughly $250,000 today—the ship was declared a total loss.

Schooner built for Great Lakes trade

Built in 1867 in Clayton, New York, the Barker carried grain from Milwaukee and Chicago to Lake Ontario and returned with coal from Lake Erie. Its home port was Cleveland, Ohio.

Designed for Great Lakes navigation, the schooner had a boxy hull to maximize cargo and angled ends to pass through the narrow locks of the Welland Canal, bypassing Niagara Falls.

Resting place of shipwrecked schooner in Lake Michigan confirmed after 100 years

The wreck now lies 24 feet underwater between the two arms of Barker Shoal, a formation thought to be named after the ship. Early reports placed the wreck near Spider Island, which likely hindered recovery and fueled the century-long mystery.

“We were excited to identify the wreck as the Frank D. Barker, whose exact location has been lost for over a century,” said Tamara Thomsen, a Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist.

The site is protected under state and federal law. The Historical Society said it will continue documenting the wreck and plans to seek its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.