''City of Ashland'' was a sidewheel
paddle steamer that sank in
Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay ( ) is an inlet of Lake Superior in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin.
History
A Native American village, known as ''Chequamegon'', developed here in the mid-17th century. It was developed b ...
,
Lake Superior, off
Ashland,
Wisconsin.
The ship was named for Ashland, a
port community. The wreckage remains at the bottom of the bay, close to the ship's namesake city.
History
''City of Ashland'' was built in 1883 and owned by the Superior Lumber Company, located in Ashland. The ship primarily was used for
timber rafting. As
timber was harvested around the
Bad River area of Wisconsin, the logs would collect near the shore, where ''City of Ashland'' would pick them up and tow them in rafts to the
sawmill in Ashland.
The ship was a common sight around the Chequamegon Bay area.
On August 8, 1887, ''City of Ashland'' was returning to Ashland while pulling a raft of logs. At a point about three
nautical mile
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (5.5 km) northeast of
Washburn
Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...
, Wisconsin, a fire was discovered at the rear of the
pilothouse. The entire ship was engulfed in flames within minutes. Hundreds of people lined the shore to view the emergency.
As the flames quickly began to consume almost the entire ship, the crew had no choice but to jump into the cold water of Lake Superior. Several ships came to their rescue, including ''Cyclone'' and ''S. B. Barker''. Most of her crew survived, but crewman Fred Ebert drowned.
The origin of the fire remains a mystery. The ship's wreck remains under the waters of Lake Superior.
See also
*
List of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes
*
Apostle Islands
The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Ba ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:City of Ashland
1883 ships
Apostle Islands
Great Lakes ships
Shipwrecks of the Wisconsin coast
Maritime incidents in August 1887
Ship fires
Shipwrecks of Lake Superior
Paddle steamers of the United States