The Robert Wallace was built in 1882 by William H. Radcliffe of Cleveland, Ohio, for David Wallace of Lorain, Ohio. Her homeport was Lorain. She had a length of, a beam of, and she had a depth. She was powered by a small 550 horsepower compound steam engine and fueled by a single coal-fired Scotch marine boiler. She had a gross tonnage of 1189.56 tons and a net tonnage of 905.38 tons. She was launched at 2:30P.M. on April 13, 1882. She usually carried bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal and grain. On August 2, 1883, the Wallace was towing the schooner bargeJ.M. Hill when she and the Hill were struck by lightning in the Milwaukee harbor. Both the Wallace and the Hill had their foremasts heavily damaged. On November 18, 1886, the Wallace was towing her schooner barge David Wallace when she stranded near Marquette, Michigan. The Robert Wallace eventually caught fire and burned down. This incident almost ended her career but she was pulled off and repaired. On November 12, 1891, the Wallaceran aground because of low water in the Sheboygan Harbor. She was loaded with a cargo of coal at the time of the incident. She was also towing the David Wallace which was carrying 1,500 tons of coal and also ran aground. On October 22, 1896, the boilers of the Wallace started to leak and they needed to be repaired so that she could continue her journey. She was repaired in Harbor Beach, Michigan.
Sinking
On November 17, 1902, the Wallace departed the ore docks in Superior, Wisconsin laden with a cargo of iron ore. She was also towing the schooner barge Ashland, which was also full of iron ore. About four hours after their departure the Wallace's stern pipe burst which caused a leak and started sinking her. Her crew was transferred to the Ashland which then sailed to Two Harbors, Minnesota, and was towed to safety by the steel hulled tug Edna G. Even though the Wallace was loaded with iron she sank quite slowly. Hours after her crew abandoned her, the Wallace continued to float on the surface of Lake Superior with her lights still on. Even when she sank her pilothouse broke off and continued to float on the surface.
Discovery
The remains of the Wallace remained undiscovered until 2006 when an unidentified diver discovered the wreck near the shipping lanes. The diver reported the location of her wreck to diver Jay Hanson, who conducted a dive with wreck hunter Ken Merryman in 2006; in 2007 Hanson and Merryman captured video footage of the wreck. Later, Merryman and diver Bob Olson identified her wreck after seeing her name, still painted in white lettering on her stern.
The ''Robert Wallace'' today
The wreck of the Wallace rests relatively intact in of water about south of Knife River, Minnesota. Close by are the wrecks of several ships including the wreck of the iron hulled steamer Onoko, the steel hulled package freighter Benjamin Noble, and the wooden hulled rafting tug Niagara, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The wreck of the Wallace is the most intact known wooden hulled bulk freighter in Minnesota waters. Her hull is separated about at the stem, which makes exploring her wreck easier. Her hull separated at the stem either when she hit the bottom or when the iron ore crashed into her bow, breaking it in two. Numerous artifacts lie outside the wreck; it is illegal to remove any artifacts because she is protected by the state of Minnesota. The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 for its state-level significance in the themes of commerce, engineering, historical archaeology, and maritime history. It was nominated for its significant research potential on the formative design and shipboard life of the first lake freighters.
