Identification & Site Information

  • Name: Fur Trader
  • Year built: 1812
  • Built at: Lake Superior, Michigan
  • Original owner: John Jacob Astor’s Northwest Fur Company
  • Type: Wooden-hulled, one-Deck Schooner with two masts
  • Tonnage: ~40 tons (old style)
  • Final location: Rapids of the St. Mary’s River, near Sault Ste. Marie, Lake Superior
  • Date lost: 1812
  • Loss type: Wrecked while attempting to navigate rapids; damaged and deemed a Total Loss
  • Cargo/casualties: Likely carrying furs or trade goods; no known casualties recorded

Vessel Type

A small, two-masted wooden Schooner used by fur-trading companies to transport pelts and trade goods across the Upper Great Lakes, particularly between Lake Superior and the St. Mary’s rapids near Sault Ste Marie.

Description

Constructed for light-Draft navigation, the Fur Trader’s wooden Hull and sails were suited for inland waterways. At about 40 tons, she was small and agile—yet vulnerable when traversing fast-flowing rapids.

History & Final Voyage

  • Built 1812 at Lake Superior for the Northwest Fur Company under John Jacob Astor’s enterprise.
  • Role: Transport of furs and supplies between Great Lakes ports.
  • Final voyage: Attempted to run the St. Mary’s Rapids but was driven onto rocks, suffered structural damage, and was Abandoned as a Total Loss. Ship’s components may have been salvaged.

Final Disposition

The vessel was wrecked beyond repair in the rapids—broken by turbulent waters. Though parts may have been recovered, the Schooner was a complete structural loss.

Located By & Date Found

No formal archaeological surveys or official rediscovery. Remains may lie in or near the rapids, possibly scattered or buried under shifting flows. Accessibility and Visibility are likely minimal.

Notmar & Advisories

No current Notices to Mariners cite this wreck. However, St. Mary’s Rapids remain extremely hazardous; modern advisories warn of swift currents, submerged obstructions, and wreckage in the riverbed—notably in areas used historically by small craft.

Resources & Links

Historical mentions of early fur-trade schooners like Fur Trader exist in broader catalogues of Great Lakes wrecks (e.g., Wikipedia “List of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes”) (en.wikipedia.org, npgallery.nps.gov, erudit.org, tile.loc.gov, wisconsinshipwrecks.org), but detailed primary documents appear absent online.

Conclusion

The Fur Trader represents one of the earliest documented commercial schooners used in the Great Lakes fur trade. Her ending in the fierce St. Mary’s Rapids illustrates the peril small sail-powered craft faced in navigating swift inland currents without steam assistance. Though physical traces are likely minimal, the wreck remains historically significant as part of the regional fur-trade narrative and early maritime exploration.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

  • Keywords: Fur Trader Schooner, St. Mary’s rapids wreck, 1812 fur trade
  • Categories: Wooden schooners, early 19th-century Great Lakes commerce, inland rapids wrecks
  • Glossary:
    • Rapids: Fast-moving, shallow river sections with high turbulence.
    • Northwest Fur Company: Montreal-based fur enterprise collaborating with Astor during early 1800s.
    • Old tonnage: Pre‐modern measure of vessel volume/capacity.