DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — In Ahnapee, something pretty remarkable was found the wreck of the John Evenson tugboat.
It was discovered just last year by Brendon Balliod and Bob Jaeck of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association
"We couldn't believe it. We had found the John Evenson in, like, I'd say fifteen minutes after people had searched for her for years," Brendon Balliod said.
Balliod says the John Evenson tugboat, which was built in 1884, was found about four miles off the coast of Ahnapee.
"Despite being in fifty feet of water, the whole boiler is there, upright and intact with its condenser on top," Balliod said.
More than a century old, this tugboat now lies on its side beneath the waves, its preserved machinery offering a rare look at early Wisconsin shipbuilding.
"It gives us a great chance to see exactly how these early steam engines worked," Balliod said.
Historian Richard Dorner, with the Kewaunee Historical Society, says the tug was lost in 1895 after an accident involving another ship.
"It collided with the Stephenson," Richard Dorner said.
He says the collision left one crew member dead.
There’s a map of major Lake Michigan shipwrecks at the Kewaunee Historical Museum but according to Dorner, that’s just the beginning.
"There could be maybe fifteen hundred ships that have sunk in Lake Michigan, but very few that have been accounted for," Dorner said.
Both groups say the shipwreck is a valuable piece of local history with many more still waiting to be discovered.
Its coordinates are listed on the Wisconsin Historical Society’s website, making it a potential next adventure for curious enthusiasts.
