The Lady Elgin Disaster

The Lady Elgin was a luxury steamship that sank in Lake Michigan on the stormy night of September 8, 1860. Returning late from Chicago to Milwaukee and overloaded with passengers, the Lady Elgin was accidentally rammed by the Augusta, a lumber schooner hurtling southwards through a storm. The Augusta was damaged, but made it safely to Chicago. The Lady Elgin sank ten miles off the Illinois coast, and despite the gallant efforts of her crew and rescue attempts along the shore, hundreds drowned, many swept away in the fierce undertow just offshore. There were more than 300 confirmed deaths, but since the passenger manifest was incomplete, the full number of victims was never known. It remains the greatest loss of life on the open water in Great Lakes history.

Written by Edward Morgan for Pier Wisconsin