ALGONAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — After the wreckage of the Western Reserve was found 132 later, the family of the lone survivor is sharing their story.
For Frank Baxter of Algonac, being around water has long been important to his family.
"Boating is a part of our blood," Baxter said.
That includes his grandfather Harry W. Stewart, a wheelsman, who was the only person to survive the wreck of the Western Reserve. The ship sank in Lake Superior in 1892 and killed 27 people.
"It's hard for me to imagine this young man, what he went through relative to the shipwreck and then go back to sailing the rest of his life and becoming a captain," Baxter said.
For years, Baxter was among those hoping that the wreckage would one day be found.
"I have thought for the last few years that it's very likely at some point in time with the new technology," Baxter said.
Now, that hope has become reality.
Video: Wreckage of ship that went missing 132 years ago discovered in Lake Superior
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said the sunken ship was first found in Lake Superior using Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar.
Annie Dennis said in recent years, she and her grandfather, Baxter, have bonded uncovering their family's history.
"I had a childhood interest in the Western Reserve. It's something that our family has been really curious about — this story — and what happened to the ship after all this time," Dennis said.
After seeing video of the ship underwater, Dennis said the tragedy of the wreck isn't lost on her family, but they are thankful for Harry W. Stewart.
"When we see those images, we see what happened to the ship, how far that was from the shore, how bad that storm must've been. I think it just makes all that much more grateful that he had that strength, that will to live because it allowed our family to be here today," Dennis said.
