BAILEYS HARBOR, Wis. - The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Joseph Cochrane shipwreck at Baileys Harbor (Door County) on the State Register of Historic Places. The shipwreck is submerged in Lake Michigan more than 500 feet southwest of the Baileys Harbor Lighthouse. 

The Joseph Cochrane shipwreck was Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 under the name Christina Nilsson. With additional scholarship and information gathered from resources unavailable at the time of the original nomination, the wreck is now known to be the Joseph Cochrane. The Christina Nilsson shipwreck has been identified nearby.

The Joseph Cochrane was launched in 1856 to transport bulk cargo and general merchandise within its hull. The schooner was carrying lumber when it sprang a leak on the night of October 29, 1870, off Baileys Harbor. Despite efforts of the crew, the ship became grounded on a reef on the east side of the harbor. Efforts were made for three days to save the vessel, but winds continued to batter the ship, and it was ultimately abandoned.

State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin’s historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks website: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Home#anchor3

To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: www.wisconsinhistory.org

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.