A Lake Michigan tour guide’s keen eye spots a centuries-old wreck, revealing a wooden freighter lost in 1887.
In July 2025, a Lake Michigan tour guide stumbled upon the long-lost SS Frank D. Barker—a two-masted wooden freighter that sank in 1887. Over 130 feet long, the vessel now rests just 24 feet beneath the surface off Door County, Wisconsin, in remarkably intact condition. This discovery concludes a mystery that has endured for nearly 140 years.
How it was found
Matt Olson of Door County Adventure Rafting first noticed a strange shadow in satellite imagery near Rowleys Bay. Intrigued, he investigated with sonar and a GoPro, ultimately revealing the ship’s remains covered in algae and mussels. Archaeologists later confirmed the wreck as the SS Frank D. Barker.
The ship
Built in 1867 at Tonawanda, New York, the Barker was a wooden-hulled, two-masted freighter measuring 133 feet in length, 26 feet in beam, and 11 feet in depth. She displaced 261 gross tons and was designed to carry bulk cargo such as grain and coal through the Welland Canal locks. Her stout oak hull and relatively shallow draft made her well suited for Great Lakes service, but by the late 1880s she was among the older wooden freighters still operating.
Final voyage and sinking
In October 1887, the Barker departed Chicago bound for Escanaba, Michigan, where she was to load iron ore for transport down the lakes. Caught in dense fog while sailing near Door County’s treacherous shoreline, she ran aground on a reef near Spider Island. The crew escaped safely, but the freighter could not be freed despite repeated salvage attempts. Heavy seas soon broke up the stranded vessel, and she was declared a total loss. For more than a century, her exact resting place remained unknown until the recent discovery.
Why it matters
Maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen called the wreck “like a football field filled with oak.” The ship’s hull structure—including deck machinery—is largely intact and laid open like a puzzle, offering a unique window into 19th-century shipbuilding. The wreck now joins the Wisconsin Shipwrecks database, with plans for full archaeological documentation and potential nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Fact file
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active, and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.
