
The Ghostly Schooner: One Body, Six Missing, Lake Superior's Secret
Emergencies and Natural DisastersShow Notes
The Ghostly Schooner: One Body, Six Missing, Lake Superior's Secret
A lone, exposed figure lay on the Miztec's deckhouse that morning of May 13, 1921 - he slipped into Lake Superior and vanished before rescuers could reach him. The schooner barge had seven aboard; only one body was ever found, and the wreck itself was officially lost for more than sixty years - what happened to the other six people and the ship's vanished remains?
In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that morning and the backstory that led three vessels into the same storm, tracing the Miztec's long service life, the crew relationships aboard the convoy, and the decisions that followed the tow line breaking; could the cargo, the storm, or something else explain a wreck that seemed to disappear?
Person: Florence Pederson Date: May 13, 1921 Location: Ten miles west of Whitefish Point, Lake Superior Event: Tow line broke during a storm; Miztec and Peshtigo left adrift Topic: Miztec schooner barge, cargo of bulk salt
- Seven people were aboard the Miztec on May 13, 1921. - The Miztec was built in 1890 at Marine City, Michigan and enrolled at Port Huron on April 8, 1890. - The Miztec ran aground near Minorville, Wisconsin on May 3, 1890, was refloated and repaired. - The Myron sank in November 1919 off Vermilion Point with 28 men lost; Neal survived clinging to the pilothouse and later served as first mate aboard the Zillah. - The Miztec carried bulk salt bound for Duluth and the Zillah also carried salt on the same convoy.
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