.jpg%3F1463423184&w=3840&q=75)
Chester Congdon
The Chester Congdon was a shipping freighter.
Plan Around Chester Congdon
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Chester Congdon Details
The Chester Congdon was a shipping freighter that delivered goods between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Duluth, Minnesota. On November 6, 1918, the ship got caught in a bought of thick fog en route from Thunder Bay. The Captain decided to push forward at nine knots for two and a half hours. If the fog had not lifted by that point he would wait. The narrow challenge between Isle Royale and Passage Island was too technical to navigate without the Passage Island Lighthouse as a reference. Unfortunately, before the two and a half hours was up, the Chester Congdon ran aground on the canoe rocks. The crew escaped onto a rescue barge. However, efforts to save the 380,000 bales of wheat on board were less successful; only 20-percent of the cargo was recovered before the ship broke in half and the stern sank to around 200 feet. Today the remains are visible on either side of the Congdon Shoal: the stern is located 60-200 feet deep off the north side of the shoal, and the bow and pilot house are located 50-120 feet deep off the south side of the shoal. There are also several other pieces of wreckage strewn across the reef in between. There is a white and blue striped mooring buoy on the stern, in 65 feet deep, as well as a market buoy on the bow. Only registered dive boats are allowed at the mooring here, with a maximum of two boats per mooring at any given time. All divers must check in at one of the park visitor centers before embarking, and hand in their dive registry when their trip is over (or mail it in).
Difficulty
Open
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
N/A
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Chester Congdon
Compare nearby parks around Chester Congdon when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Chester Congdon
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Chester Congdon while the map context is still fresh.
2.4 mi away
Lookout Louise
Great view of the water from a perch high in the trees.
3.3 mi away
Scoville Point
This hike, located in the Rock Harbor section of the park, is a 4.2-mile figure eight loop.
3.4 mi away
Smithwick Mine
Non-operational mine shafts that were used during a copper rush in the mid-1840s.
3.4 mi away
Rock Harbor Campground
The Rock Harbor campground is located next to the Rock Harbor Visitor Center at the southeastern end of the island. There is a dock here, which accommodates power boats or sail boats. You will have access to showers, a camp store and the visitor center. The campground has two individual tent sites, nine tent shelters and three group sites (for groups of seven to ten people). Group sites must be reserved in advance. All "small group" sites (individual tent sites or shelters for groups of six or under) are first come first served. Either way you do have to obtain an overnight permit and pay the daily $4 per person park use fee, all of which can be done in advance or in person. Follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out all trash. Pets are not allowed. Maximum consecutive stay from June through Labor Day is one night.
