June 24, 2026

Show Covered Chrysler Cars Recovered From The Wreck of the “City of Bangor ” Near Copper Harbor – 1927

Black-And-White Winter Scene Showing Dozens Of Covered Vintage Cars Lined Up In Snow Along A Shoreline With Trees On A Ridge Behind Them.

This photo shows rows of covered Chrysler automobiles sitting in deep snow after being unloaded from the stranded freighter City of Bangor near Copper Harbor in the winter of 1926-27.

During a Lake Superior storm on Nov. 30, 1926, the City of Bangor was driven onto rocks near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula while hauling 248 new Chryslers bound for Duluth. When the bay froze, crews built an ice-and-snow ramp and drove the cars off the ship and across the ice toward Copper Harbor. Not all made it — about 18 cars were lost overboard in the wreck — but more than 200 were eventually salvaged and shipped back for repairs and sale.

Have you heard family stories about the “Chryslers on the ice” — or seen photos like this before?

#CopperHarbor #Keweenaw #UpperPeninsula #LakeSuperior #MichiganHistory

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Michaela Nolte

Michaela is a history buff and loves to export historical markers and old buildings and seeks stories about Michigan and Great Lakes history. When she is not writing, you can find her with a good book sipping wine on the beach.

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