Lake Michigan: 60ft Septimus Meiklejohn Scow

Everything We Know About Lake Michigan

Built in 1876 by Septimus Meiklejohn, Lake Michigan was first registered on the 14^th September 1876 at the Port of Auckland. She was owned by the builder himself and Donald Hugh McKenzie.  As one of the first scows to be built Lake Michigan was a fore-and-aft schooner rigged deck scow.

Lake Michigan is said to be one of the “lake series” of scows built by Meiklejohn which included the first ever scow Lake Erie, Lake St Clair and Lake Superior.  Coming after Lake Erie, Lake Michigan marked a big improvement on the scow design as she had a centreboard and better lines according to Ronald Locker.

Not much is known about Lake Michigan’s trading life except that she had a collision with a boat named Sarah off Tiritiri Matangi Island under the captainship of John Kingdon.  After Meiklejohn and McKenzie’s ownership ended David Gouk, John Kingdon and William Meiklejohn owned her until 1880.  Alfred Buckland was next, owning her from 1880 to 1885 when John Thomas Evans and Joseph Kennedy took ownership.  Evans owned her until her end in 1909  when she would be broken up in Gisborne and her register was closed. It is unknown how long Kennedy owned her for.