AH-WR-1700

J.M. Jones

Schooner · Lost 1861 · Door County & Lake Michigan

The lumber schooner J.M. Jones sank after a collision with Condor in 1861; all crew were rescued.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

J.M. Jones was built in Milwaukee in 1855 as a two-masted wooden schooner for the lumber trade. A casualty account cited to the Milwaukee Sentinel of September 4, 1861 describes her carrying wood toward Chicago. A collision with Condor nearly cut her in two, and she sank immediately. Condor picked up all her crew.

Vessel

Built: 1855
Builder: James Madison Jones
Yard: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Material: Wood
Length: 92.17 ft
Beam: 23.58 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: 1861
Cause: Collision
Location: Lake Michigan; casualty associated with Manitowoc County in the inventory
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois
Cargo: Wood
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

Precise sinking day, wreck position, depth and present condition are not established.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Vessel construction, rig and casualty narrative; inventory zero counters excluded; documentary dates distinguished from casualty dates.