Monday, May 19, 2014
Her bones lie forgotten today, but in her heyday Lady Ellen was known in nearly every port town north of Chicago.
Others like her went by the name of Iris, Laura, and Hattie, but only Lady Ellen called Ahnapee home.
Lady Ellen hailed from Ahnapee. She ran with the likes of one-armed John McDonald and William Henry. Together they were adventurous and traveled to places called Bloodsucker Bay and Death’s Door.
She was often seen in Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Jacksonport, Sheboygan, Kewaunee, Racine, Milwaukee, Menominee, and Chicago. She got around.
People said Lady Ellen was fast. She was. She could run in excess of 15 miles per hour.
She was easy to live with, not high maintenance. She was also light and wore a sleek bow.
Some called her dumpy, but practical. It’s true; she was shallow, stable. She had a large flat-bottom and was broad. Although she didn’t waddle, she moved as gracefully as a duck. She fit easily in small places.
She could carry a great load with no complaint. She didn’t mind hard work. Lady Ellen hauled anything—flour, plaster, furniture, coal, siding, doors, or tiles. She carried shingles for Hall and Co., barrels of fish or apples, wheat, salt, hay, potatoes or iron, drugs for the pharmacy or store fixtures. She carried all kinds of wood—bark, cord wood, hardwood, cedar posts, hemlock lumber, and piles. She delivered a boiler for the Ahnapee Veneer & Seating Co., beer casks, cheese boxes for Paul Gablowsky and Co., and lots of stone. And, Christmas trees.
If the weather was rough, she preferred to stay home. She avoided being caught in a squall but when she was, Lady Ellen usually made it home unharmed. Her men kept her safe and she reciprocated.
But, Sheboygan proved a dangerous place for Lady Ellen. She was cut by ice one winter. Another time she got in a tussle with Wannette, was hit on her right side, and was down for 11 days until she recovered.
In Sturgeon Bay, she was struck at the pier and had to limp home. Another time she was hit by lightning in Ahnapee.
Each December, Lady Ellen came home to Ahnapee to rest until the next April when she got dressed up and went back to work.
Lady Ellen was all business. However, she would not work for low pay. In 1894, business was slow and she had more down time than desired.
Yet, she had to keep up appearances. As she grew older, she grew bigger. Occasionally, she went in for a makeover. Her rear was extended and she got a lift.
With age, her upkeep had to be done more liberally. By 1897, she didn’t look like herself anymore. Finally, she broke down and, by 1900, drifted into obscurity.
The scow schooner Lady Ellen lays buried in the river at Algoma. Her final resting place is the north side of the Ahnapee River, west of the 2nd St. bridge. When the river is low, you can still see remnants of her hull from the shore.
Others like her went by the name of Iris, Laura, and Hattie, but only Lady Ellen called Ahnapee home.
Lady Ellen hailed from Ahnapee. She ran with the likes of one-armed John McDonald and William Henry. Together they were adventurous and traveled to places called Bloodsucker Bay and Death’s Door.
She was often seen in Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Jacksonport, Sheboygan, Kewaunee, Racine, Milwaukee, Menominee, and Chicago. She got around.
People said Lady Ellen was fast. She was. She could run in excess of 15 miles per hour.
She was easy to live with, not high maintenance. She was also light and wore a sleek bow.
Some called her dumpy, but practical. It’s true; she was shallow, stable. She had a large flat-bottom and was broad. Although she didn’t waddle, she moved as gracefully as a duck. She fit easily in small places.
She could carry a great load with no complaint. She didn’t mind hard work. Lady Ellen hauled anything—flour, plaster, furniture, coal, siding, doors, or tiles. She carried shingles for Hall and Co., barrels of fish or apples, wheat, salt, hay, potatoes or iron, drugs for the pharmacy or store fixtures. She carried all kinds of wood—bark, cord wood, hardwood, cedar posts, hemlock lumber, and piles. She delivered a boiler for the Ahnapee Veneer & Seating Co., beer casks, cheese boxes for Paul Gablowsky and Co., and lots of stone. And, Christmas trees.
If the weather was rough, she preferred to stay home. She avoided being caught in a squall but when she was, Lady Ellen usually made it home unharmed. Her men kept her safe and she reciprocated.
But, Sheboygan proved a dangerous place for Lady Ellen. She was cut by ice one winter. Another time she got in a tussle with Wannette, was hit on her right side, and was down for 11 days until she recovered.
In Sturgeon Bay, she was struck at the pier and had to limp home. Another time she was hit by lightning in Ahnapee.
Each December, Lady Ellen came home to Ahnapee to rest until the next April when she got dressed up and went back to work.
Lady Ellen was all business. However, she would not work for low pay. In 1894, business was slow and she had more down time than desired.
Yet, she had to keep up appearances. As she grew older, she grew bigger. Occasionally, she went in for a makeover. Her rear was extended and she got a lift.
With age, her upkeep had to be done more liberally. By 1897, she didn’t look like herself anymore. Finally, she broke down and, by 1900, drifted into obscurity.
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| Resting place of Lady Ellen in Ahnapee River |
The scow schooner Lady Ellen lays buried in the river at Algoma. Her final resting place is the north side of the Ahnapee River, west of the 2nd St. bridge. When the river is low, you can still see remnants of her hull from the shore.
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| Lady Ellen in the ice at Ahnapee |
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