Wreck of 19th-Century Luxury Steamer ‘Lac La Belle’ Discovered in Lake Michigan

After nearly 60 years of searching, the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in Lake Michigan during a gale in 1872, has been discovered. The finding, announced Friday, completes a decades-long quest led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn.

A Storied Past

The 217-foot steamer was built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio and initially operated between Cleveland and Lake Superior [1]. After a collision in 1866, the ship was raised and reconditioned in 1869 before being purchased by Milwaukee’s Englemann Transportation Company [3]. It then ran passenger routes to Grand Haven, Michigan.

The Sinking of the Lac La Belle

On October 13, 1872, the Lac La Belle departed Milwaukee with 53 passengers and crew, carrying a cargo of barley, pork, flour, and whiskey [1]. Approximately two hours into the voyage, the ship began to leak uncontrollably from an unknown source. As the captain attempted to return to shore, worsening weather conditions and large waves extinguished the ship’s boiler fires [1].

The Lac La Belle sank stern first around 5 a.m., as passengers and crew watched from lifeboats. Tragically, one of the lifeboats capsized, resulting in the deaths of eight people [1].

Discovery and Location

The wreck was located in October 2022 approximately 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin [2]. Paul Ehorn, who has been searching for shipwrecks since he was 15, used a clue from fellow wreck hunter Ross Richardson to narrow his search area and discovered the ship using side-scan sonar [3]. The announcement of the discovery was delayed to allow for the creation of a three-dimensional video model of the wreck [3].

The wreck is reported to be upright and intact, though one of the propellers is missing [1].

A Long-Sought Find

Ehorn, 80, has been specifically searching for the Lac La Belle since 1965 [3]. He described the discovery as “super elated” [3].