Twenty years before the Titanic changed maritime history, another ship, hailed as a technological marvel, set sail on the Great Lakes.
The Western Reserve was one of the first all-steel cargo ships to traverse these lakes. Built for speed, the 300-foot freighter, dubbed “the inland greyhound,” was considered one of the safest ships afloat. Owner Peter Minch, proud of his vessel, brought his family aboard for a summer voyage in August 1892.
On August 30, as the ship entered Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay, a storm arose. With no cargo, the ship floated high, and the storm split it in half. Twenty-seven people, including the Minch family, perished. The sole survivor, wheelsman Harry W. Stewart, swam a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.
For nearly 132 years, the lake concealed the wreckage. In July, explorers from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society located the Western Reserve off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The discovery was announced at the annual Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
“Several factors make this significant,” said Bruce Lynn, the society’s executive director. “Most ships were still wooden. This was technologically advanced. They were a well-known family. It was a new, supposedly safe ship, with cutting-edge technology. This discovery helps preserve maritime history.”
The search spanned over two years.
Darryl Ertel, the society’s marine operations director, and his brother Dan searched for over two years. On July 2
