One of Lake Michigan’s most sought-after shipwrecks, the passenger steamer Lac La Belle, has been located nearly 150 years after it sank, discovered by Illinois shipwreck hunter and scuba diver Paul Ehorn. The vessel went down during a stormy night in October 1872, and Ehorn found it upright on the lakebed, remarkably intact.
Built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio, the Lac La Belle was a popular passenger steamer, initially running routes from Cleveland to Lake Superior. After sinking in 25 feet of water in the St. Clair River in 1866 due to a collision, it was raised and refurbished three years later. The ship was later acquired by Milwaukee’s Englemann Transportation Company and operated passenger routes to Grand Haven, Michigan. On October 13, 1872, the vessel departed Milwaukee during a moderate gale carrying 53 passengers and crew, along with cargo including barley, flour, pork, and whiskey. Roughly two hours into the voyage, the ship began leaking uncontrollably. The captain attempted to return to Milwaukee, but worsening weather extinguished the boiler fires, and the ship sank stern-first around 5 a.m. Eight people died when a lifeboat capsized, while other survivors reached shore between Racine and Kenosha.
Ehorn, who became a certified scuba diver in 1960, has spent decades exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks. His interest in wooden steamers drew him to the Lac La Belle, and with historical guidance from maritime historian Ross Richardson, he and partner Bruce Bittner used sidescan sonar to locate the wreck. Ehorn described the discovery as a moment of “real jubilation,” noting that while the superstructure is gone, the wooden framing and some cargo remain visible. Now 80, Ehorn has recruited divers to film the site and plans to create a detailed 3D model of the wreck. He will present the discovery at the 2026 Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on March 7.
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