By the 1840s, tens of thousands of settlers arrived yearly in Buffalo, New York, seeking passage and opportunities farther west. Fast, reliable, and often opulent steamers such as the sidewheeler Albany carried these passengers across the Great Lakes to rapidly growing cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. On November 26, 1853, a gale swept Lake Huron and drove the Albany ashore as it struggled toward refuge in Presque Isle Harbor. After surviving a harrowing night of fierce wind and waves, the nearly 200 passengers and crew were rescued by local craft. Salvage efforts, winter ice, and storms eventually tore the wooden ship apart. Today, sections of the steamer rest in as little as 5 feet of water less than 2 miles from here in Albany Bay, named in honor of the wreck.