ONLINE: Underwater Archaeology of Converted Steamer Antelope

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Built in 1861 in Newport, Michigan, Antelope carried passengers between Buffalo and Chicago on a regular route opposite the steamer Montgomery for Eber B. Ward’s Ward Line of steamers. She operated as a passenger packet until an 1869 fire destroyed Antelope’s upper decks, passenger cabins, and cargo spaces. In 1883 the vessel’s original machinery was removed, and the boiler and engine rooms were converted to cargo carrying space and the ship operated as a tow barge in the grain, lumber, and coal industries. Ten years later, the vessel was registered as a schooner-rigged barge. In October 1897, Antelope sank with a cargo of coal enroute to the Ashland Coal Company in tow of the steamer Hiram W. Sibley. In choppy seas, its seams burst, the pumps were unable to keep up and the vessel foundered in 300 ft of water off Michigan Island, Wisconsin in Lake Superior.

The wreck site was located in 2017 by Ken Merriman and Jerry Eliason and examined during a survey by Wisconsin Historical Society and Crossmon Consulting LLC. Discover Antelope’s history and hear what was learned from the archaeological survey of the site that led to its listing in the National Register of Historic Places.