Byron shipwreck

Byron is the wreck of a small 36-foot commercial schooner in Lake Michigan off Wisconsin, about 12 miles southeast of Sheboygan. Built around 1849 and operated under Captain William Burmeister of Manitowoc, it was part of the lakeshore trading network that helped sustain Wisconsin’s economy before roads and railroads assumed that role. Its service ended in 1867 when another schooner, Canton, ran it down and sank it. Discovered in 1977 after a trawl net brought up an anchor, the wreck was later identified by divers. Though its cargo and equipment have been removed and the hull is fragile, it remains valuable evidence of 19th-century small-vessel construction and commerce.

Wisconsin · United States