07/21/2026
A brief Eastland Memorial ceremony will be held at Millennium Plaza in Michigan City on Saturday, July 25, at 10:00am to remember the 844 victims of the S.S. Eastland disaster.
On July 24, 1915, 111 years ago, the S.S. Eastland, a Great Lakes excursion ship, was bound for Michigan City, Indiana, from Chicago, Illinois.
Washington Park was preparing to welcome approximately 7,000 employees of Western Electric Company's Hawthorne Works, along with their families and friends, for a day of recreation.
With more than 2,500 passengers on board, the ship suddenly capsized while still tied to the dock in the Chicago River during boarding. Tragically, 844 people lost their lives. The victims were predominantly young women and children, and 22 entire families perished that fateful Saturday morning. The disaster remains the deadliest maritime tragedy in Great Lakes history.
The memorial anchor chain, located on the grounds of the Old Lighthouse Museum, is made up of 844 individual links, with each link representing one of the victims. Measuring 265 feet in length, the chain is the same length as the Eastland itself.
The S.S. Eastland Memorial was dedicated on July 25, 2015.
The Michigan City Historical Society and the Old Lighthouse Museum extend their sincere thanks to the Stimley family and the many volunteers whose time, dedication, and hard work made this memorial possible.
