Rouse Simmons
Schooner · United States · Lost 1912 · Door County & Lake Michigan
Known as the 'Christmas Tree Ship,' this Lake Michigan schooner foundered with her cargo of holiday trees in a November 1912 gale, drowning her captain and crew.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Rouse Simmons was a three-masted wooden schooner built in 1868 in Milwaukee. Under Captain Herman Schuenemann, she became known for carrying Christmas trees from northern Michigan to Chicago each November. On November 23, 1912, she foundered in a severe gale in Lake Michigan with the loss of all aboard. The wreck was located in 1971 and lies largely intact in about 172 feet of water.
Vessel
- 1868
- US 110087
- Allen, McClelland & Co.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Wood
- 123.5 ft
- 27.6 ft
- 205
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- November 23, 1912
- Storm
- Lake Michigan off Two Rivers, Wisconsin
- Lake Michigan
- Thompson, Michigan → Chicago, Illinois
- Christmas trees
- Not established
- All aboard were lost, though the exact number aboard is disputed in the sources reviewed
- Herman Schuenemann
The Wreck Today
- 172 ft
- Largely intact, upright on the lake bottom
- Not established
- 1971
- Not established
Position
- 44.15° N 87.53° W
- Approximate position
- Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Approximate position off Two Rivers, Wisconsin, rounded from published dive-site descriptions
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
The exact number of people aboard at the time of loss is disputed among the sources reviewed.
Wisconsin Historical Society / Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Build details, discovery, condition
NOAA / Wisconsin State Archaeology and Maritime Preservation Program, technical report
Archaeological investigation findings
