We are just three weeks past the 110th anniversary of the Francis Hinton’s sinking in Lake Michigan. The Francis Hinton, a 115-foot long wooden steam-powered vessel which sank in November 1909, was carrying a large load of lumber when it went down in a gale between Manitowoc and Two Rivers. It went undiscovered for over 75 years until it was discovered by local divers in 1987.

Take a walk through Pioneer’s Rest cemetery in Two Rivers and you’ll find a monument that shows the good a community can do when people come together after a tragedy. In the fall of 1887 the people of Two Rivers took up a collection to pay for a wonderful memorial to honor the victims of the steamer Vernon.