Boyne City’s Historical Past

Categories: Uncategorized

By Boyne City Main Street on February 26, 2025

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A tribute to our historical past is the Three Brothers mural located on the side of the Berkshire Hathaway Michigan Real Estate Building. The Three Brothers, a Boyne City lumber ship named for brothers William H., James, and Thomas White was beached and broke apart on South Manitou Island during a storm on Sept. 27, 1911.

Early that morning Captain Sam Christopher and his crew of 13 sailors boarded the vessel. Captain Christopher guided the ship through the railroad bridge that separated Pine Lake from Round Lake in Charlevoix. He maneuvered the 30-foot-wide ship on a steady course into Lake Michigan.

As he entered Lake Michigan, Captain Christopher encountered a heavy sea. He had some concerns about his ship. The lumber barge was getting old and probably overloaded and just several weeks before, the Three Brothers collided with a rock in the Georgian Bay. She had a busted hull, and a second hull was built over the original to prolong the life of the ship.

As Captain Christopher headed for Chicago to deliver his load of lumber, the seas mounted. Close to the anchored North Manitou lighthouse ship, The Three Brothers sprang a leak in her hull and began taking on water. Captain Christopher decided that his only recourse was to run the ship ashore on South Manitou Island. The impact split the bow open and the pilothouse was dislodged. Miraculously none of the crew were killed as the $4,200 load of boards jolted every which way, spilling into the lake. Apparently the crew did salvage most of the lumber scattered along the beach. On Oct. 4, 1911 the Three Brothers was declared a total loss for insurance purposes and abandoned.

The Three Brothers gradually settled in the water and over the years a sand bar covered her up. For 85 years her burial ground was know as Sandy Point. The wreak lies in about 15 to 50 feet of water. Divers like to explore its remains, making it the most popular wreck in Michigan.