Best known for its many natural wonders, Lake Michigan also claims the odd and dubious honor as the home and stomping grounds of “Roaring” Dan Seavey, alleged to be the only pirate arrested on the Great Lakes. Aboard his ship, the Wanderer, Seavey’s life at sea (or at lake) entangled him in all kinds of misadventures. The wanton sailor roamed to the wilds of Alaska, engaged in a brisk chase with the Coast Guard and survived a raging inferno—and those are just the stories that can be confirmed. Legends of drunken brawls and grave robbing continue to follow Roaring Dan long after his death. Author Gavin Schmitt leads readers on a journey with one of Lake Michigan’s most notorious sailors.
The History Press, Paperback, 128 pages
About the Author:
By day, Gavin Schmitt works as a historian for Wisconsin’s finest library. After sunset, his research turns to crime, the mafia, unsolved murders and piracy in his home state. Best known as the author of Milwaukee Mafia, this is his ninth nonfiction book of Dairy State history.
