JOIN TODAY
JOIN TODAY

The Saga of Chicago's "Christmas Tree" Ship

News December 25, 2013

(U.S. Coast Guard)
SHARE:

schooner rouse simmons-bw1
(U.S. Coast Guard)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—In November of 1912, the schooner "Rouse Simmons" set sail from Michigan's upper peninsula, bound for Chicago with a cargo of Christmas trees. The 44-year old ship was captained by Herman Schuenemann, who was known as "Captain Christmas" and was famous for giving trees away to the needy. It's possible the holiday cargo was too heavy for the vessel to safely transport. Though logs show the weather was clear, the schooner went down with all hands, perhaps hit by a rouge wave. Maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen has been to the site of the shipwreck, which in 1971 was discovered in 178 feet of water. “It’s just a beautiful site," said Thomsen. "And it’s very interesting that it’s completely loaded with Christmas trees even today. And if you look down below the top layer of Christmas tree—Christmas trees still have needles on them." Every year the Coast Guard delivers free trees to Chicago's needy in memory of "Rouse Simmons."

Recommended Articles

Off the Grid January/February 2025

Tzintzuntzan, Mexico

Read Article
Enrique/AdobeStock

Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025

Bad Moon Rising

Read Article
Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025

100-Foot Enigma

Read Article
George E. Koronaios/Wikimedia Commons

Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025

Colonial Companions

Read Article
NadiaPera/AdobeStock

More to Discover

Features November/December 2013

Ancient Tattoos

Read Article

  • Features November/December 2013

    Life on the Inside

    Open for only six weeks toward the end of the Civil War, Camp Lawton preserves a record of wartime prison life

    Read Article
    (Virginia Historical Society, Mss5.1.Sn237.1v.6p.139)

  • Features November/December 2013

    Vengeance on the Vikings

    Mass burials in England attest to a turbulent time, and perhaps a notorious medieval massacre

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Thames Valley Archaeological Services)

  • Letter from Bangladesh November/December 2013

    A Family's Passion

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Reema Islam)

  • Artifacts November/December 2013

    Moche Ceremonial Shield

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Lisa Trever, University of California, Berkeley)