Long-lost John Evenson shipwreck is discovered in Lake Michigan after sinking nearly 130 years ago

Nearly 130 years after it sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan, a long-lost shipwreck has been found.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recently announced that maritime historians Brendon Baillod and Robert Jaeck have found the remains of an 1884 tugboat named John Evenson.

Jaeck remembered: ‘We just couldn’t believe it. We hadn’t even started our search yet. We were just getting the equipment up and running.”

The steamboat was used to tow ships on the Great Lakes and was a common sight around Sturgeon Bay during its heyday.

But on June 5, 1895, as the John Evenson attempted to tow the gigantic IW Stephenson into the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in Door County, Wisconsin, the smaller boat somehow sailed in front of the other and they collided.

The John Evenson was completely submerged in less than three minutes. Four crew members were launched into the water but later rescued.

The steamboat’s engineer, Martin Boswell, who had been working below deck during the crash, never made it out and died.

Now, in 2024, the steamboat was discovered in 40 feet of water with its machinery intact.

The steamboat was used to tow ships on the Great Lakes and was a common sight around Sturgeon Bay during its heyday.

But on June 5, 1895, when the John Evenson attempted to tow the gigantic IW Stephenson (pictured) into the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in Door County, Wisconsin, the smaller boat somehow sailed ahead of the other and they came into collision.

Historical newspaper accounts and high-resolution sidescan sonar helped locate the shipwreck

In a Facebook post, the historical society said the discovery was made using old newspaper reports and high-resolution side-scan sonar.

The duo had dropped a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) into the water to confirm that the wreckage was the boat.

Images showed the ship’s boiler, as well as its steam engine, giant propeller and hull floor.

But this wasn’t the first time an attempt had been made to find the boat.

Images showed the ship’s boiler, as well as its steam engine, giant propeller and hull floor

The steamboat was discovered in 40 feet of water with its machinery intact

In 1897, the Laurie Brothers, the ship’s owners, vowed to find and save her, but abandoned their mission for insurance purposes.

The WHS explained: ‘Two years later, in 1897, the Laurie Brothers undertook to collect and salvage their former tugboat, but they soon ran into trouble.

‘They had declared the ship a total loss and had already received the insurance payment. If the Laurie Brothers lifted the tugboat, the insurers could claim ownership. This left the Evenson at the bottom of Lake Michigan.”

Divers have been trying to find the boat ever since, with a local diving club even offering a $500 cash reward to anyone who succeeds, according to the The Smithsonian.