Shipwreck from 1880 found by chance in Wisconsin river
During a survey of the Fox River in Wisconsin earlier this year, a shipwreck that sank over a century ago was unexpectedly discovered. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation Program and the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association were using high-resolution sonar to map potential cultural sites in a 2.5-mile section of the river. Among the various debris, including trees, rocks, lumber rafts, and collapsed bridges, was the remarkable find of what appeared to be a different shipwreck. This find, identified as likely belonging to the L.W. Crane, a wooden paddle wheel steamer ship that was built in 1865 in Berlin, carried passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto. Unfortunately, in 1880, the L.W. Crane caught fire, burned to the waterline, and sank in Oshkosh, located just across the river from where the wreck was discovered. Ongoing investigations by the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association are seeking more information about the 1870 shipwreck and others in the area, in spite of challenges posed by the river's debris.
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