Researchers Finally Solve the Mystery of Disappearance of Gilded Age Businessman and His Family on Lake Superior in 1892

Only one of the 27 people onboard the steel ship ‘Western Reserve’ survived when it vanished 132 years ago on Lake Superior

An all-steel ship that vanished in the middle of Lake Superior amid a violent storm 132 years ago has been discovered, according to researchers.

Only one of the 27 people who boarded the Western Reserve when millionaire Captain Peter G. Minch arranged a summer cruise for his family survived the 1892 disaster. At the time, the vessel had been “built to break cargo shipping records and was considered one of the safest ships afloat,” according to a Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum news release.

David Boyd of The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) discovered the 300-foot steel steamer in late summer 2024 using Marine Sonic Technology, per the news release. However, the shipwreck wasn’t confirmed as the Western Reserve until ROV (remotely operated vehicle) deployments took place roughly 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.

Experts believe the vessel broke in two at a depth of about 600 feet.

“Knowing how the 300-foot Western Reserve was caught in a storm this far from shore made an uneasy feeling in the back of my neck. A squall can come up unexpectedly… anywhere and anytime,” Darryl Ertel, Director of Marine Operations, said in the news release.

Captain Minch was a “highly respected shipping magnate” when he decided to bring his family on a cruise through Lake Huron en route to Two Harbors, Minn., under the command of Captain Albert Myer.

According to experts, the weather switched from “pleasant” to “rough” as the ship approached Whitefish Bay. Despite having weighed an anchor, worsening weather caused the ship to begin to break up and sink at around 9:00 p.m. local time on Aug. 30, 1892, per the news release.

Most of the crew got into the ship’s metal lifeboat, which capsized within minutes, USA Today reported. Meanwhile, everyone else managed to drift in a wooden boat on the waters in darkness for the next 10 hours.

The survivors yelled for help when a steamship passed them during the night, but without flares to signal they were not seen. At around 7:30 a.m. local time, within one mile of the shoreline west of the Deer Park Life-Saving Station, the boat capsized, according to the news release.

Wheelsman Harry W. Stewart of Algonac, Mich., was the only person onboard the ship who lived to share what happened. At the time, newspapers blamed the ship’s fragile steel design for the tragedy, while others believed it should have been able to weather the storm, USA Today reported.

The discovery of the Gilded Age shipwreck came after a two-year search.

“Every shipwreck has its own story, but some are just that much more tragic,” said GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn.

“It is hard to imagine that Captain Peter G. Minch would have foreseen any trouble when he invited his wife, two young children and sister-in-law with her daughter aboard the Western Reserve for a summer cruise up the lakes,” Lynn continued, adding, “It just reinforces how dangerous the Great Lakes can be, any time of year.”