During the Civil War, when Michigan's Upper Peninsula produced most of America's copper, vessels such as the Pewabic were vital to transporting the metal needed for the war effort. On a typical voyage between Lakes Erie and Superior, the 200-foot steamer carried 1,000 tons of copper and more than 100 passengers. The sister ships Pewabic and Meteor often exchanged news and mail as they passed each other, but on the calm evening of August 9, 1865, a few miles south of Thunder Bay Island, the Pewabic's wheelsman inexplicably turned into the path of the oncoming Meteor. The Meteor's heavy bow tore a huge gash in the Pewabic's side, and within minutes the Pewabic sank. Although the Meteor rescued many of the estimated 150 passengers, at least 33 drowned in Thunder Bay's worst maritime disaster.