SS Henry Chisholm

SS Henry Chisholm was a large wooden steam barge built in Cleveland in 1880 near the practical limits of Great Lakes wooden ship design, reinforced with steel and iron and known for hauling heavy cargoes and towing barges. Named for steel industrialist Henry Chisholm, it set cargo-capacity records during years in the Great Lakes trade. On a voyage from Duluth to Buffalo in 1898, a storm separated it from the schooner it was towing, and while searching near Isle Royale it struck a reef by Rock of Ages Light and was abandoned. Storms soon destroyed the vessel, whose remains now form a significant underwater archaeological site.

Ahmeek, Michigan · United States