Pocket watch from Great Lakes' deadliest shipwreck returned to family

Pocket watch from Great Lakes' deadliest shipwreck returned to family

The Great Lakes have claimed thousands of lives and ships. The exact total will never be known, but historians estimate that 25–30,000 people have drowned on around 6,000 vessels since the 17th century. Despite this uncertainty, experts do know the single deadliest documented shipwreck: the Lady Elgin. On September 8, 1860, the sidewheel steamer crashed into another boat while sailing north of Chicago on Lake Michigan. Over 300 people died as a …