The Wreck of the Lady Elgin

Shipwrecks continue to command public interest, and this story of an ill-fated wooden sidewheel steamboat running between Milwaukee and Chicago contains elements of high drama. Known as the "Queen of the Great Lakes," the Lady Elgin was a remarkably beautiful ship, commanded by one of the most experienced captains on the Lakes. Her surprising collision with a smaller ship, the schooner "Savannah," on September 8, 1860 left the Lady Elgin mortally wounded and she sank in less than an hour. The program relates the story of the ship's building, looks at the pre-Civil War politics of the day and tells tales of heroic bravery in the wake of the sinking (one college student from nearby Northwestern University rescued 17 people), before making a quantum jump to 1989 when the remains of the Lady Elgin were found, only to set off a storm of controversy and litigation lasting to this day. There's more than enough material here for a fascinating and stimulating program, but the often soporific presentation by various historians tend to turn this grand story into a bland recitation. Libraries in the Great Lakes area will surely want to consider adding; for others, this is very optional. (J. Carlson)