Sunken treasure? Archeologists discover shipwreck while searching for another near Oshkosh
Researchers with the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association were conducting a sonar survey of the Fox River in Oshkosh this spring to map previously located shipwrecks, WHS said in a release on Facebook earlier this month.
Instead, they came across a new shipwreck in the process, WHS said.
"That's the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for," WHS said.
Scans of the wreck revealed a partially buried hull approximately 90 feet long and 23 feet wide. Archaeologists believe the remains belong to the L.W. Crane, a steamer ship that was built in 1865 before burning in the Oshkosh river in 1880.
More discoveries: Ghost ship found after 132 years in the murky depths of 'Shipwreck Coast'
L.W. Crane was a wooden side wheel steamer built in 1865 in Berlin, Wisconsin, according to a bio from WHS.
The ship was used to ferry passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto, Wisconsin. During the vessel's career, it ran on the Illinois River as well as the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, according to the society.
In summer 1880, the L.W. Crane caught on fire and burned to the water's edge at the St. Paul Railroad slip in Oshkosh, WHS said.
The wreck is believed to have been discovered by researchers during a scan of the Fox River this spring, according to WHS. It was found directly opposite from where the St. Paul Railroad Slip was located, according to historical records.
Research is ongoing to identify the wreck, but there is a "strong possibility" that it is the L.W. Crane, WHS said.
Related: Wisconsin angler discovers one of the largest tugboats in Great Lakes history off Manitowoc
Archaeologists were trying to map a different shipwreck, the Berlin City vessel, when they discovered what they believe to be remains of the L.W. Crane, WHS said.
Berlin City was built in 1856 and was used for purposes similar to that of the L.W. Crane, including transporting passengers and freight between Berlin and Oshkosh, the society said.
According to WHS, Berlin City was popular with tourists and described as "a tip top steamboat" with the ride aboard called "one of the pleasantest that can be taken."
In 1870, Berlin City caught on fire and its remains sank in the Fox River, WHS said.
Related: How many shipwrecks are in Lake Michigan, and what happens to them?
According to Wisconsin Shipwrecks, more than 60 ships sank in inland waterways in Wisconsin. The Fox River is the site of nine shipwrecks and possibly more.
Berlin City, 1856, a steam paddle
Bob Teed, 1883, a tug
E.P. Weston, 1863, a steam paddle
L.W. Crane, 1865, a steam paddle
Menasha, 1851, a steam paddle
Minnie, 1865, a steam screw
Satisfaction, 1894, a tug
T.S. Chitterton, 1886, a steam paddle
Union, 1865, a steam screw
Three may be in Green Bay/Fox River:
Belle Laurie, 1876, a schooner
Flora Webster, 1871, a steam screw
G.A.R., 1877, a tug
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oshkosh shipwreck found may be L.W. Crane sank in Fox River in 1880
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Researchers accidentally discover Civil War-era shipwreck while exploring murky Wisconsin river
Wisconsin researchers recently discovered a 145-year-old shipwreck in a murky river – and it was a complete surprise. The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the organization that led the trip, confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. The ship was found near the city of Oshkosh. Historians believe the sunken vessel is the L.W. Crane, built in 1865. It sank in 1880. 'We knew the Crane was in the area, [and] that finding her remains was a possibility,' WUAA president Brendon Baillod told Fox News Digital. 'But we had assumed that she was most likely buried in the bottom.' He noted that diving the wreck is not feasible, as the Fox River has very low visibility due to suspended sediment. They used an archaeological-grade sidescan sonar manufactured in Sweden to find the ship's remnants. 'We were amazed that her entire hull was still visible on the bottom,' Baillod said. The discovery was also publicized by the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), which posted about it on Facebook in July. Speaking to Fox News Digital, WHS maritime archaeologist Jordan Ciesielczyk described the situation as 'a happy accident, and completely unexpected.' 4 Wisconsin researchers recently discovered a 145-year-old shipwreck in a murky river – and it was a complete surprise. Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association The WHS joined the trip to survey another shipwreck in the area, the Berlin City. That vessel was built in 1856 and sank in 1870. '[The Berlin City] is another river steamboat, like the L.W. Crane,' Ciesielczyk said. 'These small steamboats would carry freight and passengers up and down the Fox and Wolf Rivers.' At the time of the trip, the WHS was unaware of any other shipwrecks in the area, the expert added. 'We were going upriver between two of the previous survey areas and kept scanning the bottom as we went along, when suddenly this wreckage came up on our screen,' Ciesielczyk said. 4 The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the organization that led the trip, Wisconsin Historical Society 'It was very exciting!' Ciesielczyk pointed to 'context clues' – including the ship's size, shape, and location – as strong evidence that the wreck is the L.W. Crane. 'In the summer of 1880, the barge L.W. Crane caught fire and was cut loose from its slip, where it burned and sank into Fox River roughly in the area where this wreck was discovered,' the archaeologist said. '100 yards away from this wreck are the remaining stone bridge caissons for the former railroad bridge on the river bottom.' 4 Fox River Sonar Project crew posing with their boat. Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association 'The shipwreck we discovered was 90 feet long and 20 feet wide, which is roughly the same size as the L.W. Crane. It's a very strong possibility that this wreck is the L.W. Crane.' Ciesielczyk noted that no artifacts have been discovered near the site, but that doesn't mean they don't exist – further research is planned. Future exploration, however, won't be easy. Ciesielczyk said diving in the Fox River is 'very challenging' with the rough currents and poor visibility. 4 'In the summer of 1880, the barge L.W. Crane caught fire and was cut loose from its slip, where it burned and sank into Fox River roughly in the area where this wreck was discovered,' the archaeologist said. Wisconsin Historical Society Having gone diving 'in a different part of the Fox River on another shipwreck years ago, I couldn't see my hands in front of my face,' he recalled. The latest discovery is one of many long-lost shipwrecks that have been identified in the Midwest in recent months. In May, the WHS announced that a fisherman stumbled upon a historic shipwreck in Lake Michigan. The ship, known as the J.C. Ames, was used in the lumber trade before being intentionally destroyed in 1923.
Fox News
15 hours ago
- Fox News
Researchers accidentally discover Civil War-era shipwreck while exploring murky Midwest river
Wisconsin researchers recently discovered a 145-year-old shipwreck in a murky river – and it was a complete surprise. The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the organization that led the trip, confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. The ship was found near the city of Oshkosh. Historians believe the sunken vessel is the L.W. Crane, built in 1865. It sank in 1880. "We knew the Crane was in the area, [and] that finding her remains was a possibility," WUAA president Brendon Baillod told Fox News Digital. "But we had assumed that she was most likely buried in the bottom." He noted that diving the wreck is not feasible, as the Fox River has very low visibility due to suspended sediment. They used an archaeological-grade sidescan sonar manufactured in Sweden to find the ship's remnants. "We were amazed that her entire hull was still visible on the bottom," Baillod said. The discovery was also publicized by the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), which posted about it on Facebook in July. Speaking to Fox News Digital, WHS maritime archaeologist Jordan Ciesielczyk described the situation as "a happy accident, and completely unexpected." The WHS joined the trip to survey another shipwreck in the area, the Berlin City. That vessel was built in 1856 and sank in 1870. "[The Berlin City] is another river steamboat, like the L.W. Crane," Ciesielczyk said. "These small steamboats would carry freight and passengers up and down the Fox and Wolf Rivers." At the time of the trip, the WHS was unaware of any other shipwrecks in the area, the expert added. "We were going upriver between two of the previous survey areas and kept scanning the bottom as we went along when suddenly this wreckage came up on our screen," Ciesielczyk said. "It was very exciting!" "It's a very strong possibility that this wreck is the L.W. Crane." Ciesielczyk pointed to "context clues" – including the ship's size, shape and location – as strong evidence the wreck is the L.W. Crane. "In the summer of 1880, the barge L.W. Crane caught fire and was cut loose from its slip where it burned and sank into Fox River roughly in the area where this wreck was discovered," the archaeologist said. "100 yards away from this wreck are the remaining stone bridge caissons for the former railroad bridge on the river bottom." "The shipwreck we discovered was 90 feet long and 20 feet wide, which is roughly the same size as the L.W. Crane. It's a very strong possibility that this wreck is the L.W. Crane." Diving in the Fox River is "very challenging" with the rough currents and poor visibility. Ciesielczyk noted that no artifacts have been discovered near the site, but that doesn't mean they don't exist – further research is planned. Future exploration, however, won't be easy. Ciesielczyk said diving in the Fox River is "very challenging" with the rough currents and poor visibility. Having gone diving "in a different part of the Fox River on another shipwreck years ago, I couldn't see my hands in front of my face," he recalled. The latest discovery is one of many long-lost shipwrecks that have been identified in the Midwest in recent months. In May, the WHS announced that a fisherman stumbled upon a historic shipwreck in Lake Michigan. The ship, known as the J.C. Ames, was used in the lumber trade before being intentionally destroyed in 1923.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Archeologists find 1880 shipwreck while searching for a different one
Archaeologists surveying a Wisconsin river believe they unexpectedly stumbled upon a ship that sank in 1880. Researchers with the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association were conducting a sonar survey of the Fox River in Oshkosh this spring to map previously located shipwrecks, WHS said in a release on Facebook earlier this month. Instead, they came across a new shipwreck in the process, WHS said. "That's the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for," WHS said. Scans of the wreck revealed a partially buried hull approximately 90 feet long and 23 feet wide. Archaeologists believe the remains belong to the L.W. Crane, a steamer ship that was built in 1865 before burning in the Oshkosh river in 1880. More discoveries: Ghost ship found after 132 years in the murky depths of 'Shipwreck Coast' L.W. Crane was a wooden side wheel steamer built in 1865 in Berlin, Wisconsin, according to a bio from WHS. The ship was used to ferry passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto, Wisconsin. During the vessel's career, it ran on the Illinois River as well as the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, according to the society. In summer 1880, the L.W. Crane caught on fire and burned to the water's edge at the St. Paul Railroad slip in Oshkosh, WHS said. The wreck is believed to have been discovered by researchers during a scan of the Fox River this spring, according to WHS. It was found directly opposite from where the St. Paul Railroad Slip was located, according to historical records. Research is ongoing to identify the wreck, but there is a "strong possibility" that it is the L.W. Crane, WHS said. Archaeologists were trying to map a different shipwreck, the Berlin City vessel, when they discovered what they believe to be remains of the L.W. Crane, WHS said. Berlin City was built in 1856 and was used for purposes similar to that of the L.W. Crane, including transporting passengers and freight between Berlin and Oshkosh, the society said. According to WHS, Berlin City was popular with tourists and described as "a tip top steamboat" with the ride aboard called "one of the pleasantest that can be taken." In 1870, Berlin City caught on fire and its remains sank in the Fox River, WHS said. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shipwreck believed to be L.W. Crane discovered in Wisconsin river
