AH-WR-1184

Michigan

Steam Schooner · United States · Lost 1893 · The British Columbia Coast

A 695-ton steam schooner overran her position in a strong current and struck Vancouver Island in January 1893, and her wreckage can still be touched on the beach today.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The 695-ton steam schooner Michigan was en route from San Francisco to Puget Sound on January 21, 1893, when the strong northerly current along this coast carried her off course and she collided with Vancouver Island in the night. Of the 25 people aboard, 24 reached shore safely after daylight; one man died attempting an overland hike along the old telegraph trail to seek help at Carmanah Point. Wreckage from the Michigan remains visible and accessible on the beach along the West Coast Trail today.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 695
Propulsion: Steam, single screw, auxiliary sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: January 21, 1893
Cause: Navigational error
Location: Near the 12-kilometre mark of the present West Coast Trail, southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: San Francisco, California → Puget Sound, Washington
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 25
Lives lost: 1
Master: Not established