Scuba divers explore the bow of the Rouse Simmons which still has most of its cargo of Christmas trees in the hold. It sank in 170 feet of water near Two Rivers on Nov. 23, 1912. Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society

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(Correction: An earlier version of this graphic had Two Rivers incorrectly located to the north of Point Beach State Forest. It should have been south of the forest.)

By of the

One hundred years later, the Christmas trees destined to brighten thousands of homes are still in the ship's hold, and some still have their needles.

When the schooner Rouse Simmons arrived in Chicago's harbor laden with Christmas trees, it was the unofficial start to the holiday. Like clockwork Herman Schuenemann, who was known as Captain Santa, sailed into the port in late November, hung out his sign and quickly sold out his fragrant cargo.

But in November 1912, just seven months after the Titanic struck an iceberg, the Rouse Simmons didn't arrive at its destination. Captain Santa's customers wondered when he would arrive with his load of Christmas trees.

The Algoma native had cheated death on Lake Michigan before as he braved the Great Lakes' turbulent November weather for the lucrative Christmas tree trade. But on Nov. 23, 1912, Schuenemann's last trip ended in 170 feet of water when the Rouse Simmons sank near Two Rivers with the loss of all hands.

Today the Rouse Simmons is the most popular shipwreck in Wisconsin waters, and its story of tragedy and hope continues to resonate. It inspired poets, painters, authors, playwrights and song writers, and this weekend, in honor of the centennial of the sinking of the Christmas tree ship, several observances are planned in Wisconsin.

"The story encompasses so many different themes," said Rochelle Pennington, a Kewaunee author who has written books on the Christmas tree ship. "You find courage, generosity, kindness, devotion and faith set against the backdrop of Christmas."

Built in 1868 in Milwaukee, the three-masted schooner was carrying a cargo of freshly cut Christmas trees from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Chicago, where Schuenemann strung electric lights from the rigging to draw customers willing to spend 50 cents to $1 for a beautiful evergreen. He also donated trees to needy families and charities. Schuenemann had done this for years, joining his older brother August, who began ferrying trees to Chicago in the 1870s.

In 1898, Schuenemann decided to stay home with his wife to help care for their newborn twins, leaving his brother to make an ill-fated Christmas tree voyage. August Schuenemann went down with his ship near Glencoe, Ill.

"Herman was the first one who had to make that decision whether to carry on or not. He knew Lake Michigan had been his family's enemy but it was also his friend because it was how he made his living," said Pennington.

Despite the loss of his brother, Schuenemann continued the tradition, spending several weeks cutting trees in the Upper Peninsula each fall, loading them onto his ship and sailing to Chicago, where he docked near the Clark St. bridge. The year after he died, his widow, Barbara, and three daughters arranged for Christmas trees to come from the U.P. via rail and sold them from a schooner docked in the Chicago harbor. They did that until Barbara died in 1933.

William Ehling was only 3 when his grandmother died, but he vividly remembers the stories told by his mother, one of the twins his grandfather stayed behind to look after in 1898, and his two aunts. As a boy he played hide and seek among the Christmas trees his family sold from a docked ship.

"At Christmas time we would bring out all the things about grandpa and talk about him. It was not a sad time," said Ehling, 82, a retired physician who lives in Streator, Ill., and who, like his grandfather, had three daughters.

At the time of the Rouse Simmons sinking, schooners still plied the Great Lakes but by then they had become a novelty as steam took over, said Bob Desh, Door County Maritime Museum executive director/curator. Still, they were considered the eighteen-wheelers of the day, hauling cargo and passengers before roads and highways began to crisscross the country like Silly String.

No one knows how many people died when the Rouse Simmons foundered about six miles off Point Beach near Two Rivers, but it's estimated at between 15 and 19. The log book went down with the ship.

The weather was beginning to worsen when Schuenemann set sail from Thompson, Mich., on Nov. 22. The science of weather forecasting was in its infancy and mariners relied on guts and intuition when deciding whether to sail or stay in port. Rats were reportedly seen fleeing the Rouse Simmons before it left, a bad omen, and at least one sailor refused to go. At the last moment some lumberjacks eager to travel to Chicago boarded, said Pennington.

On the afternoon of Nov. 23 a Kewaunee Lifesaving Station watchman saw a three-masted schooner laboring in stiff northwest winds and heavy seas, its distress flags hoisted. Kewaunee didn't have a motor boat so the station in Two Rivers was notified. A lifesaving crew from Two Rivers launched its gas-powered lifeboat but couldn't find the ship even though it was a clear day.

The Rouse Simmons had vanished.

A dozen years later fishermen from a ship called Reindeer made an astonishing discovery. Pulling in their nets they found a waterproof oilskin pack. Inside was Herman Schuenemann's red Moroccan leather wallet. His business card and newspaper clippings heralding his Christmas tree ship were still dry and tucked inside.

Then in 1971 a scuba diver found the ship resting upright in 170 feet of 34-degree water. Captain Santa's family was elated to hear the wreck had been found.

"There was tremendous emotions, especially when we heard the trees were still lashed to the deck and some of them were in excellent condition because of the cold water," said Ehling, whose mother died in 1990.

The wreck is considered a grave site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several years ago the Wisconsin Historical Society sent a team to document the wreck and found a ship with most of the deck planking gone but many of the 5,500 trees stacked neatly in the hold. The ship had likely hit bow first, throwing the rigging in front of the boat; the port side anchor landed about 150 feet from the wreck still attached by its chain, said Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist for the historical society.

The starboard side anchor was raised in the 1970s, before state law barred taking artifacts from Wisconsin shipwrecks, and is now displayed at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. The ship's wheel was retrieved from fishing nets in 1999 and is on display at Roger's Street Fishing Village Museum in Two Rivers.

The exact cause of the sinking is unknown, but research showed the Rouse Simmons - named after a Kenosha merchant whose family started the Simmons Mattress Factory - was in poor condition and overloaded when it sank, said Thomsen.

"We plotted out where the (Two Rivers Lifesaving Station's) lifeboat went with the wind. It actually encircled where the Christmas tree ship is today. If she was still floating at 4:20 p.m. they would have been able to save the people on the vessel but by then they were on the bottom," said Thomsen, who has logged 50 dives on the Rouse Simmons.

"We imagine when it started sinking it went pretty fast. They probably didn't have a lot of time to decide who would get into the small lifeboat."

Over the years artifacts were retrieved by scuba divers from the ship including a spittoon, ax, shoe sole and electric light bulb, one of the many Schuenemann strung across his ship to beckon Christmas tree purchasers. Shortly after it was discovered in the 1970s the bulb that had been submerged for more than five decades was plugged in.

It still lighted up.

Centennial events

Numerous events are scheduled to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Rouse Simmons:

At 9 a.m. Friday at the Milwaukee Yacht Club, 1700 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, Wisconsin Marine Historical Society members will conduct a ceremony near the Rouse Simmons' 1 ton anchor, including a wreath laying, moment of silence and singing of "Oh Tannenbaum."

In Two Rivers, two days of events are planned for the centennial on Friday and Saturday, starting with performances at 2 and 7 p.m. Friday of a musical about the Christmas tree ship. Events on Saturday include a public reception at the Rogers Street Fishing Village with a visit by Capt. Herman Schuenemann's grandson; a visit from the U.S. Coast Guard's Christmas tree ship, which re-enacts the Rouse Simmons at Christmastime in Chicago; and a parade and lighting of the Rouse Simmons Christmas tree. For more information, go to RogersStreet.com.

The Central Library in Milwaukee has a Rouse Simmons poster exhibit featuring designs from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students on display through Jan. 30.

Rochelle Pennington, author of books on the Christmas tree ship, is telling the story of the Rouse Simmons and displaying ship artifacts at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at Clement Manor, 3939 S. 92nd St., Greenfield, (tickets are $5); at 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Greendale Visitor Center, 5602 Broad St., (tickets are $10); and at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Sheboygan Yacht Club, 214 Pennsylvania Ave., free. All of the events are open to the public.

An exhibit of 15 original schooner paintings by maritime artist Eric Nils Forsberg, including four of the Rouse Simmons, is on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc, through Dec. 31.