The Northerner is an 81 foot long, two masted schooner. It shipwrecked on November 29, 1868 five miles southeast of Port Washington, Wisconsin

Port Washington, Wisconsin

Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is about 25 miles north of Milwaukee and 110 miles north of Chicago. In the 2000 census Port Washington had a population of 10,467...

. The bottom of the ship currently lies under 130 feet of water.

Career

The Northerner was built in 1850 in Clayton, New York

Clayton, New York

The term Clayton, New York could refer to either of two locations on St. Lawrence River:* Clayton , New York* Clayton , New York...

 by John Oades. It was originally owned by Henry T. Bacon, a New York merchant, and co-owned and operated by Russell Disbrow. At that time, the Northerner mainly traveled on Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 and the St. Lawrence River. In 1859, the Northerner was damaged in a storm on Lake Ontario and was reconstructed at Wells Island, New York

Wells Island

Wells Island is a bar island in Tyler County, West Virginia on the Ohio River. In 1891, the Board on Geographic Names officially decided upon Wells Island as the island's name. It lies to the southwest of Sistersville....

. In 1863, the ship was sold to interests in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. At that point, the Northerner became involved in shipping lumber on Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

. In 1865, the Northerner was sold to Nicholas Ronk and Andreas Ryerson. Ryerson would be the captain. In November 1868, the hull of The Northerner was damaged at Cedar Grove, Wisconsin

Cedar Grove, Wisconsin

Cedar Grove is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,887 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, while taking on a cargo of timber. The ship made it to Port Washington, where temporary repairs were made. Then, it was towed back to Milwaukee by another ship; the Cuyahoga. The Northerner capsized en route to Milwaukee on November 29, 1868. The crew managed to escape to the Cuyahoga.

The wreck

The current depth of the Northerner remains somewhat controversial. Some sources have cited the Northerner as being under 130 feet of water, while others have stated that the depth is 135 feet. The foremast has toppled but remains on the wreck. The amidships mast is no longer on or near the wreck. The ship remains fairly intact although the pilothouse

Pilothouse

A pilothouse or pilot-house is a glass-enclosed room from which a ship is controlled by the ship's pilot. The pilothouse also is known as the wheelhouse....

blew off when the ship wrecked.

Footnotes

• 1) This listing of operators in most likely incomplete. The resources used only mentions these operators and further research should be done for a complete listing.