SS Rouse Simmons
The Rouse Simmons, also known as the “Christmas Tree Ship,” launched in 1868. The Simmons, was a 123.5-foot schooner that carried Christmas trees and lumber across the Great Lakes. Captain Herman Schuenemann would sell trees right off the ship's deck to families.
Carrying a hefty load of Christmas trees, on November 22nd, 1912 the schooner left Thompson, MI to head to Chicago, IL. This would be the last time the ship set sail. There is still no definitive answer of what happened to the Rouse Simmons. It is believed a mixture of the heavy load and the November storms caused the ship to capsize, laying 172 feet below the surface.
The location of the ship wreck was unknown until 1971. A scuba diver named Gordon Kent Bellrichard was using sonar to look for another shipwreck, the Vernon, and found the Christmas Tree Ship. It was located just off the shore of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
The ship is honored every year with an evergreen tree placed at the location of the wreck.
Carrying a hefty load of Christmas trees, on November 22nd, 1912 the schooner left Thompson, MI to head to Chicago, IL. This would be the last time the ship set sail. There is still no definitive answer of what happened to the Rouse Simmons. It is believed a mixture of the heavy load and the November storms caused the ship to capsize, laying 172 feet below the surface.
The location of the ship wreck was unknown until 1971. A scuba diver named Gordon Kent Bellrichard was using sonar to look for another shipwreck, the Vernon, and found the Christmas Tree Ship. It was located just off the shore of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
The ship is honored every year with an evergreen tree placed at the location of the wreck.
