Art By Mark Fredrickson

The Legend of the Christmas Tree Ship

Long ago, a ship on Lake Michigan disappeared. Why is this ship still remembered today?

By Alex Winnick

From the December 2025 ⁄ January 2026 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the descriptive details the author uses to bring the article about the disappearance of the Christmas Tree Ship to life.

Lexiles: Easier Level, 600L-700L

Featured Skill: Author's Craft,

Other Key Skills: descriptive details, cause and effect, main idea and supporting details, text features, key details, inference, compare and contrast, author’s purpose, vocabulary, summarizing, supporting an opinion, explanatory writing

Standards

Think and Read: Author's Craft

As you read, look for the descriptive details the author uses to bring this story to life.

DN-0006926, Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum (Captain Schuenemann)

Captain Schuenemann and his crew

It was November 22, 1912. A boat captain named Herman Schuenemann
[SHOO-nuh-min] prepared to sail from Thompson, Michigan. The air was as cold as ice. Strong winds whipped across the ship. Wild waves pounded against the shore like giant hammers.

But the captain wasn’t too worried. He had sailed across Lake Michigan hundreds of times. For him, it was as normal as tying his shoes.

His ship, the Rouse Simmons, was heading to Chicago, Illinois. There were almost 5,000 Christmas trees on board! People said the ship looked like a forest floating on the water. Schuenemann could picture the homes where the trees would soon stand, bright and decorated.

But hours into the journey, a winter storm hit the area. Snow and ice formed a blanket of danger on the water. A week passed, and the ship still hadn’t arrived in Chicago. The Rouse Simmons had disappeared. Would anyone discover what happened?

It was November 22, 1912. There was a boat captain. His name was Herman Schuenemann [SHOO-nuh-min]. He was getting ready to sail from Thompson, Michigan. The air was as cold as ice. Strong winds blew across the ship. Huge waves hit the shore like giant hammers.

But the captain wasn’t too worried. He had sailed across Lake Michigan hundreds of times. It was as normal as tying his shoes.

His ship was called the Rouse Simmons. It was heading to Chicago, Illinois. There were almost 5,000 Christmas trees on board! People said the ship looked like a forest floating on the water. Schuenemann could picture the bright and decorated trees inside people’s homes.

But hours into the journey, a winter storm hit the area. A blanket of snow and ice formed on the water. A week passed, and the ship still hadn’t arrived in Chicago. The Rouse Simmons had disappeared. Would anyone discover why?

PAUSE AND THINK: Who was Herman Schuenemann?

Trees for Christmas

Lake Michigan is an enormous lake between Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. In the 1800s, it was like a highway for ships. Boats carried people, goods, and food between towns and cities on all sides of the lake. A one-way trip usually took three or four days.

Hundreds of wooden ships called schooners sailed on the lake every day. Many schooners traveled to and from Chicago, a bustling city on the southern end of the lake. Chicago was growing quickly. Builders needed plenty of wood to make homes, buildings, and ships.

Sailors like Schuenemann transported logs and trees from towns in Michigan to Chicago for most of the year. In November, people wanted trees for a special reason: Christmas!

Before the mid-1800s, Christmas trees were rare. But a tradition that started in Germany was now spreading across America. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, people would bring evergreen trees into their homes. They would decorate them with candles, ornaments, and even food, like nuts. As the tradition became more and more popular, people in Chicago needed more and more trees!

Lake Michigan is a big lake between Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. It was like a highway for ships in the 1800s. Boats carried people, goods, and food. The boats traveled to towns and cities on all sides of the lake. A one-way trip usually took three or four days.

Hundreds of wooden ships called schooners sailed on the lake every day. Many schooners traveled to and from Chicago. Chicago was a busy city on the southern end of the lake. It was growing quickly. Builders needed plenty of wood to make homes, buildings, and ships. Sailors like Schuenemann transported logs and trees from towns in Michigan to Chicago. They did this for most of the year. In November, people wanted trees for a special reason: Christmas!

Before the mid-1800s, Christmas trees were rare. But a tradition that started in Germany was now spreading across America. People would bring evergreen trees into their homes during the weeks leading up to Christmas. They would decorate them with candles, ornaments, and even food, like nuts. The tradition became more popular. People in Chicago needed more trees!

PAUSE AND THINK: What tradition was spreading in America in the mid-1800s?

Safer Seas

See how technology has changed ships over time.

Safer Seas

See how technology has changed ships over time.

Shutterstock.com

Early 1900s

Sailors mostly used a compass and the stars to know which way to go. They would lower a flag if they were in danger—and hope someone saw the signal for help!

Early 1900s

Sailors mostly used a compass and the stars to know which way to go. They would lower a flag if they were in danger—and hope someone saw the signal for help!

JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

TODAY

Crew members use GPS (Global Positioning System) to know where they’re going—and avoid storms! GPS can help rescue teams find missing ships too. Crews also have high-powered radios to call for help.

TODAY

Holiday Cheer

Schuenemann loved his job. He made sure everyone who wanted a tree got one, even if that meant he had to donate it for free. People started calling him Captain Santa. His boat had a nickname too: the Christmas Tree Ship.

Every November, the Christmas Tree Ship would pull into its dock in Chicago. People would eagerly climb on board and pick out their trees. Captain Santa even decorated his schooner to spread holiday cheer.

When Captain Santa set sail from Michigan on November 22, 1912, he knew a powerful winter storm was possible. But he was determined to deliver his trees. He was going to try . . . no matter what.

Schuenemann loved his job. He made sure everyone who wanted a tree got one. He would even donate trees for free. People started calling him Captain Santa. His boat had a nickname too. It was called the Christmas Tree Ship.

Every November, the Christmas Tree Ship would pull into Chicago. People would be excited to climb on board and pick out their trees. Captain Santa even decorated his schooner to spread holiday cheer.

On November 22, 1912, Captain Santa set sail from Michigan. He knew a powerful winter storm was possible. But he was determined to deliver his trees. He was going to try . . . no matter what.

PAUSE AND THINK: What did people call Schuenemann and his ship?

Wild Tales

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Wisconsin Historical Society

Found!

A scuba diver found the ship at the bottom of the lake in 1971.

Today we know very little about what happened on the Christmas Tree Ship’s last journey. But we do know this.

The ship left Michigan on schedule. A day later, it was spotted farther down the lake, near Wisconsin. The person who saw the ship noticed that the flag was flying at half-mast. (That means it was lowered halfway down the pole.) A half-mast flag meant one thing: Help!

People went out to rescue the ship. By then, a storm had started. Snow swirled in the wind like confetti. The sky darkened to midnight black. It was hard to see very far. The rescuers searched for hours. But they couldn’t find the ship.

People were distraught. Days went by. Soon the terrible news spread to Chicago: The Christmas Tree Ship was gone.

In the months that followed, Christmas trees started floating onto shore, one by one. Ghost stories spread about where they had come from. Sailors said they would see the ship far away on the lake—and then the ship would disappear. Other people said they could hear the ship’s bell ringing on the lake. But when they searched the area, no ship could be found.

Legends stretched to every corner of the lake. Still, nobody knew the truth.

Today we know very little about what happened on the Christmas Tree Ship’s last journey. But we do know this.

The ship left Michigan on schedule. It was spotted farther down the lake, near Wisconsin, a day later. The person who saw the ship noticed that the flag was flying at half-mast. (That means it was lowered halfway down the pole.) A half-mast flag meant one thing. It meant the ship needed help!

People went out to rescue the ship. A storm had started. Snow swirled in the wind like confetti. The sky was dark. It was midnight black. It was hard to see very far. The rescuers searched for hours. But they couldn’t find the ship.

People were distraught. Days went by. Soon the terrible news spread to Chicago. The Christmas Tree Ship was gone.

Months passed. Christmas trees started floating onto shore. Ghost stories spread about where they had come from. Sailors said they would see the ship far away on the lake. And then the ship would disappear. Other people said they could hear the ship’s bell ringing on the lake. They searched the area. But no ship could be found.

Legends stretched to every corner of the lake. Still, nobody knew the truth.

PAUSE AND THINK: What did someone notice about the Christmas Tree Ship?

The Mystery Remains

Almost 60 years later, a scuba diver was swimming through the murky waters at the bottom of Lake Michigan. He found something unexpected. It was the lost Christmas Tree Ship!

There are many theories about how it ended up there. Many people believe the wind, waves, and snow from the storm damaged the ship and caused it to sink. But experts have studied documents from that time. The records suggest that the worst of the storm began after the Christmas Tree Ship went down. So what caused it to sink?

Perhaps the weight of all those trees was too much for the old ship. It wasn’t strong enough to carry 5,000 evergreens. Or maybe the ship’s wheel got damaged in the storm. If the crew couldn’t steer, the ship may have gotten stuck. One powerful wave could have been enough to sweep it underwater. Until someone finds more clues, the mystery will remain.

In the meantime, people still remember Captain Santa. They remember everything he did for the people in Chicago.

After he died, his wife and daughters continued to sell Christmas trees to people in Chicago. And to this day, the U.S. Coast Guard keeps Captain Santa’s spirit alive. They sail from Michigan to Chicago every winter, carrying a load of Christmas trees for the holiday. They give the trees away to anyone who wants one.

Captain Santa would be proud.

It was almost 60 years later. A scuba diver was swimming in the murky waters of Lake Michigan. He found something unexpected. It was the lost Christmas Tree Ship!

There are many theories about how it ended up there. Many people believe the wind, waves, and snow from the storm damaged the ship. This caused it to sink.

But experts have studied documents from that time. The records suggest that the worst of the storm began after the Christmas Tree Ship went down. So what caused it to sink?

Maybe the weight of all those trees was too much for the old ship. It wasn’t strong enough to carry 5,000 evergreens. Or maybe the ship’s wheel got damaged in the storm. The ship may have gotten stuck if the crew couldn’t steer. One powerful wave could have been enough to push it underwater. The mystery will remain until someone finds more clues.

In the meantime, people still remember Captain Santa. They remember everything he did for the people in Chicago.

After he died, his wife and daughters continued to sell Christmas trees to people in Chicago. And today the U.S. Coast Guard celebrates Captain Santa’s Christmas spirit. They sail from Michigan to Chicago every winter, carrying a load of Christmas trees for the holiday. They give the trees to anyone who wants one.

Captain Santa would be proud.