The House of David’s Mysterious Shipwreck – The Rosa Belle

It was late October in 1921 when the schooner “Rosa Belle” disappeared on its return voyage from High Island in Lake Michigan. The Rosa Belle was a two masted 100 foot sailing vessel owned by the Israelites of the House of David, a religious colony headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan. They had a lumbering enterprise

The Chicora Shipwreck and the 14 local men who perished

In 1892, the Chicora was commissioned by the Graham & Morton Transportation Company to replace one of their other steamers, The Puritan. The company ran a prosperous freight and passenger trade between Chicago and St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan. Replacing the Puritan was a 209 foot long Chicora, designed by Frank E. Kirby, and built by