September 7

When someone mentions shipwrecks and Lake Michigan, I immediately recall the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, probably because of that song by Gordon Lightfoot. The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald was indeed a tragedy, which resulted in not only the loss of a very big boat, but the lives of its 29 crewmembers as well. It pales however, when you consider another wreck, that of the Lady Elgin, which sank in Lake Michigan with a loss of the 400 passengers who were onboard at the time of the sinking on the 7th in 1860.

In a gale, the Lady Elgin had been rammed by the schooner Augusta. The Augusta suffered only minor damage and thought the Elgin had as well so they steamed off. It took less than 20 minutes for the Elgin to break apart and sink.