The remains of the barkentine Mojave rests on the bottom of Lake Michigan. Built in 1863, and measuring 136 feet in length, the Mojave represents a class of vessel, the canaller, that traveled the longest routes of any of the trades, carrying grain grown in the heartlands to eastern cities and returning with coal to fuel the development of the Midwest. Little historical documentation exists on canaller construction and operation.

In mid-June 1863, the keel of Mojave was laid down at the shipyard of Master Shipbuilder Stewart McDonald in Detroit. It was constructed with identical dimensions and built as the barkentine Ravenna launched from the yard in 1861 for George W. Bissel to be used in support of the produce and commission house, Backus & Bissell. Mojave was built for $17,000, also for Bissel.

During the first week of November 1864, Mojave loaded 18,460 bushels of wheat at Chicago for William Petrie & Company of Buffalo. When the ship departed Chicago, Captain Darius Nelson Malott was in command. It is plausible that Malott was picked up enroute on the run from Buffalo to Chicago and at Chicago he took command of the ship. On 8 November 1864, while on its trip northbound on Lake Michigan, Mojave was sailing four miles behind the Canadian barkentine Monarch when they encountered heavy gales. The last time the crew of the Monarch saw the Mojave, it was sitting low in the water and rolling heavily in the seas. The Monarch’s crew said they were well out into the lake between Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan, when the Mojave went down into a trough of the waves, became swamped, and sank quickly. A sailor was sent aloft to the masthead of the Monarch to look for the ship, but Mojave was not seen again. Family records show that Captain John McKenzie was also aboard and died on the Mojave. It is likely that he was taking passage home to Michigan or to take another assignment when the ship was lost.

The Mojave is a rare example of a vessel type that was vital to Wisconsin’s economy, the economy of the Midwest, and transportation infrastructure before the development of road and rail networks. Before rail lines were constructed, canallers like the Mojave were an important link in the development of the Midwest, connecting the region economically and culturally with the eastern markets. This trade fueled the expansion of the major industrial centers of the Midwest.

State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin’s historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks website.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks