Treacherous trees

December 6, 2022 10:31 AM

Michigan’s famous Christmas Tree Ship sank 110 years ago
posted by tiny frying pan (9 comments total)

Great story (and there's a ballad about it)--thanks for posting!
posted by box at 10:39 AM on December 6, 2022 [2 favorites]

There's also an entire musical, The Christmas Schooner. It premiered in Chicago and tends to run there during the holidays since the ship was headed to Chicago. Didn't realize until reading the musical's Wikipedia page that Cecily Strong was in the premiere cast!
posted by bassooner at 11:41 AM on December 6, 2022

Looks like this is how word reached shore:

Then there was a message in a bottle, believed to be from the Rouse Simmons crew, that washed up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The bottle was corked with a tiny piece of pine tree, according to research by Lori Jacobson-Tews.

The message read: “Friday ... everybody goodbye. I guess we are all through. During the night the small boat washed overboard. Leaking bad. Invald and Steve lost too. God help us.”

posted by aniola at 12:25 PM on December 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

I’ve got a great great grandfather or so buried in a watery grave somewhere in southern Lake Michigan, so I can definitely sympathize.
posted by saintjoe at 2:53 PM on December 6, 2022

And every year the USCG icebreaker Mackinaw shows up with a load of Christmas trees in honor of the Rouse Simmons.
posted by suelac at 4:51 PM on December 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

I'm currently running the sound board for a beautiful production of The Christmas Schooner in Middle TN! Was totally unfamiliar with the story until coming on board the production...if you haven't seen the musical, there's some beautiful songs! Anyone in the Middle TN area, come see us in Woodbury and say hi.
posted by griffey at 6:25 AM on December 7, 2022

I am delighted to learn about the musical!!!
posted by MarianHalcombe at 1:57 PM on December 7, 2022

That bottle message is really moving.
posted by doctornemo at 7:51 PM on December 7, 2022

TIL that there was another Christmas Tree Ship musical besides this one. For the record, I saw this at the Blue Gate in Shipshewanna, Indiana (think Branson, MO but for the Amish) about 4 years ago. The show was… really something. The accompanying dinner, however, was fantastic.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 8:51 PM on December 7, 2022