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NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86) Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 3/87) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Schooner-barge PRETORIA Section 7 Page 1 Ashland County, WI Introduction The schooner-barge Pretoria, the largest wooden ship ever built on the Great Lakes, lies in about 54 feet of water off of Outer Island, Lake Superior, in Ashland County (Fig.l). Launched in July 1900, the Pretoria is one of the last wooden bulk carriers built on the lakes and represents that type of ship construction at its height. Built, owned, and operated by the well-known James Davidson of West Bay City, Michigan, the Pretoria was used to carry a variety of bulk cargoes. When Pretoria sank on September 1, 1905, she was carrying a load of iron ore that had been loaded in Superior, Wisconsin. Five men drowned when the Pretoria's lifeboat capsized while trying to reach the Outer Island Shore. Although the wreck has been salvaged and the hull broken apart, its three major pieces, consisting of the bilge, port, and starboard sides retain excellent integrity (Fig.2). The vessel's anchor windless also remains on site. Additional debris associated with the Pretoria can be encountered for several miles around the main wreckage. Site Investigation As part of the 1990 underwater archeological survey work in the Apostle Islands, a brief reconnaissance of the schooner-barge Pretoria was made to help plan further survey work by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Using several sets of LORAN coordinates supplied by local divers, archeologists and students from East Carolina University and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin relocated and inspected the main wreck and portions of the Pretoria debris field. Several reconnaissance dives produced a basic assessment of the site and wreckage field. The main portion of the site consists of the ship's heavy bilge, as well as the port and starboard sides, lying on a hard bottom of sandstone bedrock at a maximum depth of 54 feet. The sides of the hull are broken at the turn of the bilge, and lie outboard of the bilge section. The port side lies inboard up; the starboard side lies outboard up, and partially overlaps the starboard turn of the bilge. An inverted portion of the Pretoria's bow (including her windlass) lies to port of the forward end of the wreck. Some iron ore is littered in the vicinity of the site, along with other debris.