The Rouse Simmons
A 1909 photo of Captain Herman Schuenemann, center, Mr. Colberg, right, and W. L. Vanaman, left, standing among Christmas trees on a ship. A century ago, a Christmas tradition in Chicago turned from joy into grief when the Rouse Simmons, the Christmas tree ship, sank in Lake Michigan, taking her beloved captain and his crew with her. (Chicago History Museum)
The story of the Rouse Simmons, also known as the Christmas Tree Ship, has been told countless times over the last century. It’s a tale of working on a Great Lakes Schooner, bringing holiday cheer, and most importantly family. On November 23, 1912 the schooner carrying Christmas trees vanished off the coast of Two Rivers. Captain Herman Schuenemann and his 17 man crew were making their yearly voyage to Chicago to deliver the trees when the harsh November waters proved to be too much for the schooner and crew. After receiving a call from the Kewaunee Lifesaving Station, Captain Sogge at the Two Rivers Lifesaving Station took his crew out and attempted to search for the Rouse Simmons but they were unable to find it or any signs of a wreckage. While the final moments of the Rouse Simmons has been written about many times, the exact circumstances remained a mystery for some time. The discovery of the shipwreck in 1971 proved to give many clues as to what happened and since then archaeologists have been able to provide factual evidence to recreate the last voyage of the Rouse Simmons.
The first archaeological survey of the Rouse Simmons shipwreck was completed in 2006 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. It has been commonly told that the schooner hit a storm off our coast but in an interview with Captain Sogge taken a month after the wreck he speaks of a clear view to the Kewaunee station, noting no storm when the vessel went down at about 3 pm. It started to snow following the Lifesaving Station's search of the lake, but skies were fairly clear when the distress signal went out. The archaeologists recreated Sogge's search which showed that the lifeboat went all around where the wreck is found today.
In examining the wreck site of the Rouse Simmons, it was determined that the crew was preparing to set the port anchor, The anchor had been deployed by the crew just before the schooner sank which means the men on board were looking for a last saving effort. Although it isn't exactly clear what happened, the old vessel may have been too weak to maneuver the harsh November waters of Lake Michigan.
Regardless of the catastrophe that led to the sinking of the Rouse Simmons, the story remains as one that we are proud to share. Schuenemann's widow, Barbara, and his oldest daughter continued the legacy of delivering Christmas trees – by railroad cars - until Mrs. Schuenemann’s death in 1933.
In the days, months, and years that followed the sinking of the Rouse Simmons many stories falsely reported what happened and sensationalized the story of the wreck.While some mysteries of the crew’s final moments have been better understood, none of us were aboard the schooner on November 23, 1912.This November we can all take a little time to remember the lives lost from the Rouse Simmons, and other vessels, as the rough November waters bounce off our coast.