Anchor & Capstan

A fisherman's collapsible anchor recovered by Jay Olson from the waters off Jacksonport reflects a type commonly used on fish tugs because it was easily stowed on small boats. Unlike early anchors that were forged in one piece, this anchor has arms and flukes that are welded on, indicating a more recent construction method. A capstan, dating from about 1860 to 1900, was recovered in 1968 by scuba divers Jay Olson, Chuck Haynes, Gideon Haynes, and Jim Kolberg from an unidentified schooner approximately 1,400 feet north of here. On Great Lakes schooners, capstans were used to raise anchors and sails, handle mooring lines, and load cargo, and this one has holes for five capstan bars that men would push to perform those tasks.

Jacksonport, Wisconsin · United States