Loss of the "Jane Miller"

Photos by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted October, 2011

Plaque Location

The County of Grey
The Township of Georgian Bluffs
In Colpoy's Lookout Conservation Area
on the north side of Road 1
11.5 km east of Highway 6 in Wiarton

Coordinates: N 44 47.909 W 81 01.723

Plaque Text

The "Jane Miller", a wooden-hulled freight and passenger vessel, was built in 1879 at Little Current. A screw-propelled, 190 tonne ship 24 m in length, she was owned by her skipper, Andrew Port of Wiarton. On November 25, 1881, at Owen Sound and Meaford, she loaded a heavy deck cargo destined for Michael Bay, Manitoulin Island. Not obtaining enough wood at Big Bay dock (North Keppel) to reach his destination, Captain Port attempted to reach Spencer's Landing, immediately north of here, but the ship was capsized by gale-force winds almost within sight of it. Some 30 aboard, including her crew of nine, were lost in this, one of Georgian Bay's worst marine disasters.

More
Information

More
Disasters

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted March 2, 2011
This is a great information site! I'm doing a project on the Jane Miller, and I now know the story... or at least part of it.

Posted March 13, 2010
Can you tell me exactly where Spencer;s Landing was?

Posted August 6, 2008
Was just notified to-day that -- "The Jane Miller plaque was vandalized twice in the last 2 years and Grey Sauble Conservation has assisted the Ontario Heritage Trust with re-installing the sign." -- Wording is the same but it is now situated at the Lookout wall instead of the median. Reverse photo gives the same wiew as your photo. Karl

Posted July 16, 2008
Still missing as vandals tore it down a couple of years ago.

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