A ballad tells the story of its crew — specifically, its journey from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Buffalo, New York.
It includes a moment where the ship gets stuck in the mud while being towed through the canals. The Library of Congress says that story is likely true. The ship was stuck in the canals for two days, according to local papers.
The ballad is sung by Asel Trueblood in 1938, recorded by Alan Lomax when he came to Mackinac County.
Trueblood was a sailor and said that he saw the “John Bigler” many times and once walked her deck. He also noted that it was known among others as being a comically slow vessel.
The Bigler sank in 1884 with a load of stone about 10 miles north of the Huron Islands.
Hear the full song here. It's the second track streamable on the Library of Congress' website and starts a minute into the track.
