Located in Lake Michigan, lie the remains of the wooden scow schooner I.A. Johnson. Nearly all hull structure, artifacts, and some rigging implements, remain intact on the site. Built in 1867 by J.A. Johnson in Dover Bay, Ohio and sank in 1890, the scow I.A. Johnson is representative of a little-understood vessel type that was once common throughout the Great Lakes; the scow schooner.

Little historical documentation exists on scow schooner construction and operation. Much of our understanding of this vessel type, and the lakeshoring trade in which they operated, has come from archaeological data recovered from wreck sites. The vessel spent the beginning of its career carrying general merchandise on Lake Erie then participated in the lumber trade on Lake Michigan from 1871 until its sinking. While sailing with a light cargo of merchandise for Washington Island, Wisconsin in September 1890, I.A. Johnson was struck on the port side bow. After the vessel’s transom ripped off while being towed by the stern, the ship sank quickly to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

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.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks