Identification & Site Information

  • Name: Selden E. Marvin
  • Official Number: 115771
  • Year Built: 1881
  • Builder: Bailey Brothers, Toledo, Ohio
  • Original Owner: Gratwick, Smith & Fryer Lumber Co., Detroit, Michigan
  • Launched: 22 June 1881
  • Dimensions:
    • 53.2 m  174.6′ L
    • 10.1 m  33.2′ B
    •  3.7 m (12.2′ D)
    • Gross Tonnage: 618 t
  • Vessel Type: Two-masted wooden Schooner‑Barge, single-Deck
  • Final Voyage: Tow by Steamer C. F. Curtis, loaded with lumber, en route from Baraga, MI to Tonawanda, NY
  • Lost: 18 November 1914, off Crisp Point, Grand Marais, Lake Superior; Foundered in gale, crew of seven lost

Description & Historical Summary

The Selden E. Marvin was a robust Schooner-Barge built solely as part of the lumber trade on the Great Lakes. Equipped with two Schooner-rigged masts for emergency sail power, it was designed to endure heavy loads and occasional grounding. Its operational life (1881–1914) saw use behind numerous steamers, including G.H. Gratwick, Edward Smith, and Santa Maria, primarily transporting lumber and coal. While it encountered minor incidents—such as a collision with Gladstone (1892) and grounding at Round Island (1904)—it remained a valuable asset in the lumber fleet.
On 18 November 1914, during a violent storm, the Selden E. Marvin broke free from its Towline. The Barge spun apart in heavy seas and sank quickly, claiming the lives of all seven aboard—the same tempest also claimed the Steamer C.F. Curtis and another Barge, Annie M. Peterson (28 total fatalities).

Wreck Discovery & Condition

Significance & Preservation

This site offers profound historical and archaeological insights:

  • Technological: Showcases workmanship of late-19th-century wooden Schooner‑barges.
  • Maritime History: Enhances understanding of Hines Lumber Co.’s fleet disaster — nearly 25% lost in a single storm.
  • Cultural: A solemn maritime grave; all 28 crew members lost during the storm are memorialized.
  • Archaeological: Holds potential for further research into tow dynamics and storm-induced structural failures in heavy seas.

Historical Newspaper-Style Report from 1914

LOSS ON Lake Superior — NOVEMBER 18, 1914
In a severe gale near Crisp Point, the Steamer C.F. Curtis, towing the Schooner barges Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson, was overtaken by a blinding snowfall and howling winds. The Marvin, heavily laden with lumber, broke free of her Towline and quickly went to pieces in the punishing seas. The entire crew of seven were lost, and no survivors have been found. The Curtis and Peterson also Foundered, bringing the confirmed death toll to twenty‑eight. — Grand Marais Daily Journal, Nov 20, 1914