Elgin, Illinois
Friday, February 13, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pioneer Illinois Shipwreck Hunter and Scuba Diver Paul Ehorn is pleased to announce the discovery of one of Lake Michigan’s most sought-after missing ships.
The passenger steamer Lac La Belle had been missing in the depths of Lake Michigan since a stormy night in October of 1872. Ehorn located her upright, intact hull almost 150 years to the day after her loss.
The Lac La Belle was one of the most popular passenger steamers on Lake Michigan. Built in 1864 at Cleveland, Ohio, she spent her early years running from Cleveland to Lake Superior before an unfortunate collision sank her in 25 ft. of water in the St. Clair River in 1866. She was not raised until 1869 and had to be completely reconditioned.
She was then purchased by Milwaukee’s Englemann Transportation Company which ran her in the passenger trade to Grand Haven, Michigan. She met her end in this capacity. She had departed Milwaukee in a moderate gale on the night of October 13, 1872, with 53 passengers and crew as well as a cargo of 19,000 bushels of barley, 1,200 barrels of flour, 50 barrels of pork and 25 barrels of whiskey. About two hours into her trip, she began leaking uncontrollably from an unknown source. The captain turned her back to Milwaukee but the weather deteriorated and huge waves began boarding her, extinguishing her boiler fires. She was driven south by the gale for hours in a sinking condition. Around 5AM, the captain ordered the lifeboats lowered and the passengers and crew watched as she went down stern first.
The lifeboats headed for shore but one soon capsized in the heavy seas, sending 8 people to their death. The other lifeboats made landfall from Racine to Kenosha where the survivors related their harrowing ordeal to reporters.
Ehorn’s interest in Great Lakes shipwrecks began when he became a certified scuba diver in 1960 at the age of 15. He started searching for shipwrecks in 1965, eventually finding several of the Great Lakes most interesting shipwrecks, including the big steel automobile carrier Senator, which he located in 2005.
Paul’s interest in the Lac La Belle stemmed from his love of old wooden steamers. Ehorn noted “As a woodworker myself, I appreciate the hand craftsmanship that went into these early vessels. The Lac La Belle was close to home for me and is a wreck that’s always been on my radar.”
Many other wreck hunters had searched for the Lac La Belle, but the location of her sinking was poorly known, leaving a large search grid. In 2022, fellow wreck hunter and maritime historian Ross Richardson found a new historical clue that narrowed the grid down significantly.
Armed with the information Ehorn and his partner Bruce Bittner set out with Ehorn’s Klein sidescan sonar prepared for a long search. About two hours in on only their second pass, a large object crawled across the screen. They immediately turned around and viewed it at higher resolution, showing the unmistakable hogging arches of the Lac La Belle. “It was a moment of real jubilation” exclaimed Ehorn. “We knew we had done it.”
The wreck’s distance from shore and poor weather prevented Ehorn from examining the wreck for almost two years. Eventually Ehorn, who is now 80 years old, recruited divers John Janzen and John Scoles to dive and film the deep wreck. They were able to film the massive 217-foot ship, which is remarkably intact considering her violent end. “Although her superstructure is blown off, you can see all of her wooden framing and some of her cargo is visible,” stated Ehorn.
Ehorn’s plans for the wreck include creating a 3D photogrammetry model that will record the condition and layout of the wreck in detail before he releases the location.
Ehorn will be presenting the discovery in person at the 2026 Ghost Ships Festival at the Inn on Maritime Bay in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on March 7th, 2026. He will show underwater video of the site and tell the story of the discovery. He will also be available for interviews at the event. Visit www.ghostshipsfestival.com for more information.
All images shown here have been pre-approved by Paul Ehorn and Brendon Baillod for publication by all media outlets.
Please direct media inquiries to:
Paul Ehorn, Discoverer, plehorn@aol.com, phone: 224.422.7596
Brendon Baillod, Maritime Historian, baillod@gmail.com, phone: 608.438.7246