About this property
Christina Nilsson was a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan off Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, on October 23, 1884. In 2003, a shipwreck site purporting to be that of this ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The wreck was subsequently identified as that of the Joseph Cochrane. The ship was built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, at a cost of $23,000 and was named after Christina Nilsson. On October 23, 1884, Christina Nilsson cleared Escanaba, Michigan, bound for Chicago, Illinois, with a cargo of pig iron. When a blizzard hit the area that day, her captain attempted to make port at Baileys Harbor, but, while still trying to navigate through the storm, Christina Nilsson struck a reef off Baileys Harbor and foundered. All crew members survived. The ship's cargo was recovered, but attempts to salvage Christina Nilsson herself were unsuccessful. The wreck site has been investigated by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association since 1997. In June 2025, the Wisconsin Historical Society confirmed the wreck previously identified as Christina Nilsson to be that of a different vessel, the schooner Joseph Cochrane, lost in 1870. Shipwrecks in Baileys Harbor with Russel Leiz by the Baileys Harbor Historical Society, Sevestopol TV, June 7, 2012
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck) listed on the National Register?
CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 2003.
What type of historic resource is CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck)?
CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck) is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck)?
The period of significance for CHRISTINA NILSSON (shipwreck) is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1884.
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