In 1965, we became the brand new and proud owners
of the sunken vessel America and of the seasoned 38-foot Peterson
cruiser Skipper Sam.
We acquired both through a deal with hardhat diver Paul J. Flynn, whose
father had claim on America. With the help of then-congressman,
John Blatnik, we quickly gained a salvage permit from the National Park
Service in the fall of 1965.
Since June 7, 1928, America lay where it foundered in the waters
off Isle Royale, Michigan. We wanted to salvage and refloat it.
Saving a sunken vessel begins with a very large dose of optimism. As many
of you loyal readers well know, the salvage plan almost worked, but two
divers with explosives sealed America’s demise in April 1966.
They blew a new hole in its hull, and the Isle Royale National Park superintendent
saw no reason to permit World War III to begin in his national park.
Since that disappointment, there has been the fun of seeing many divers
preserve this highly “diveable” wreck, entombed in fresh water and some
of it less than two feet below the surface. But as we contemplate the remains
of this 180-foot vessel built in 1903, we must not lose sight of what it
meant to the people who used it and waited for it. Boats and ships are
often so much more than the sum of their engines and hulls.
America, the vessel, and America, the country, gave great promise
to the folks who carved an existence from the formidable northern shore
of Lake Superior. They came here at the turn of the century - yes, that
one - 102 years ago. Many lived in Norway or Sweden, where unless they
inherited land, they faced the future of a working servant. Land stayed
within families; sales almost never went beyond family members.
The story of America - the country - had persisted for several years with
legends claiming that “you can own land by simply settling on it.” Now
I ask you - might this promise of “land you can own” have encouraged travel
to this New World? Boy, did it!
America held the promise of goods arriving and of fish catches selling
for the settlers of Lake Superior’s Minnesota shore, as captured by painter
Howard Sivertson in this image from his book Schooners, Skiffs and Steamships,
Stories along Lake Superior’s Water Trails.
They arrived off the trans-Atlantic ships in droves, usually financially
limited, often staring at signs in a language they didn’t understand. In
today’s world, we accept that many people are familiar with our language,
but in those days, English was more rare. As the copper mines and other
eastern endeavors grew, more workers were desperately needed. Settlers
who sought Lake Superior resisted the opportunity visible on the East Coast
for the promise of “land like Norway” along Lake Superior.
It wasn’t easy, but it happened! With land titles in hand, home construction
began, and fish houses and docks quickly followed. Relatively simple open
boats were built and men went out to net fish. Now they sorely needed supplies.
Booth Fisheries had the muscle. After years of hit-and-miss fish buying,
they sensed the time had come. The vessel America was brought into
service on western Lake Superior, routinely making dozens of calls on fishermen
- each way - along the shore between Duluth and Fort William (now Thunder
Bay) in Ontario.
Descendants of those first shore settlers recall the magic of the steamer
America’s name, vividly introducing another promise of “America”
to the immigrants.
For years, Booth maintained four vessels buying fish on Lake Superior.
The vessels, including America, brought goods to the fishing families
or provided transportation to the larger cities.
America’s dream of a growing positive population might be best demonstrated
here on Lake Superior. Families came and settled, finally conveying their
satisfaction to those still in Europe. More families followed.
These families overcame the barriers of languages and the challenges of
earning a living on a sometimes unforgiving and powerful lake. But look
at the end result: a rich Lake Superior culture survived, prospered and,
in oh so many ways, fulfilled its promises.
A selection of Jim Marshall’s columns of lake lore and his inland sea voyages
has been published as Lake Superior Journal: Views from the Bridge
by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. Follow this link
for more information.
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